PRIME MINISTER

Mr. Victor Bout

Harry Cohen: To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he has had with the United Nations on whether Mr Victor Bout should be on a list of those subject to planned UN sanctions on arms trafficking; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: I have had no discussions with the United Nations on this matter.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Mitigation Speeches

David Borrow: To ask the Solicitor-General if he will encourage prosecutors to challenge derogatory attacks on a victim's character made by defence lawyers in mitigation.

Mike O'Brien: Yes, on 21 October 2005 I announced the publication of the revised Attorney General's Guidelines on the Acceptance of Pleas and the Prosecutor's Pledge. Both require prosecutors robustly to challenge defence mitigation which is derogatory to a victim's character.

Electoral Fraud

James Duddridge: To ask the Solicitor-General what role he expects the Law Officers' Departments to play in ensuring prosecutions are brought in relation to electoral fraud.

Mike O'Brien: Prosecutions for election offences, including electoral fraud, are conducted by the special crime division of the Crown Prosecution Service, based in London and York.
	A specialist Crown prosecutor will review the case, as in all cases, in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.
	The Law Officers, who superintend the work of the Crown Prosecution Service, would be informed about high profile cases, however the DPP does not require law officers consent to prosecute a case.

Crime Victims

Keith Vaz: To ask the Solicitor-General when he last met the Director of Public Prosecutions to discuss liaison between the Crown Prosecution Service and victims of crime.

Mike O'Brien: The Attorney General and I and our officials have regular discussions with the Director of Public Prosecutions and his officials on a wide range of victim related issues, including the No Witness No Justice initiative and the Prosecutor's Pledge, which are significantly changing the relationship between prosecutors and victims and witnesses of crime.

Criminal Cases

David Jones: To ask the Solicitor-General what steps the Crown Prosecution Service is taking to improve management of the procedure of criminal cases in court.

Mike O'Brien: The Criminal Procedure Rules Committee (CPRC) sets the rules which govern the practice and procedure of the criminal courts and give courts explicit powers actively to manage criminal cases and to avoid unnecessary delays and promote consistency between courts.
	The DPP is a member of the CPRC and both the CPS and my office play a leading role in contributing to the work of the CPRC and its sub-groups. The CPS was closely involved in the drafting of the overriding objective, the case management rules and forms. Significant contributions were made on the disclosure and terrorism protocols. The CPS regularly provides comment and suggestions on issues which the Committee are considering. In addition the criminal case management framework complements the rules in setting out the role and responsibilities of the CPS and others involved in managing criminal cases through the courts.

Crown Prosecution Service

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Solicitor-General what steps the Crown Prosecution Service is taking to improve the delivery of court papers.

Mike O'Brien: Steps are being taken to improve service—including the timely service of papers by the police. The electronic service of papers is increasingly being used by the CPS in the more complex criminal cases such as complex frauds and complex computer related crimes. The CPS in electronically serving evidence on the court has to ensure that the police have signed paper statements of all witnesses. The statements themselves can then be served electronically on the court and defence; this can be done by CD or e-mail. The signed paper bundle has to be retained by the police.

Crown Prosecution Service

Andrew Turner: To ask the Solicitor-General what the average time taken by the Crown Prosecution Service to decide whether to prosecute a juvenile was in the last year for which figures are available.

Mike O'Brien: The Crown Prosecution Service maintains no central record of the time taken to reach pre-charge decisions, nor is the information recorded on individual case files. The time varies considerably, partly due to the need to gather evidence and talk to witnesses.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Child Care

Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research her Department is undertaking on whether cost acts as a barrier to take-up of child care.

Maria Eagle: The Department has commissioned a series of surveys of parents' use, views and experiences of Childcare and Early Years Services. The latest of these was conducted between 2004 and 2005. The survey collected data on a wide range of issues associated with childcare/early years provision, including information on the barriers to such provision.
	The findings from the survey are expected to be published in a research report at the end of March 2006.

Setting/Streaming

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures her Department has introduced since 1997 to promote setting and streaming in schools.

Jacqui Smith: We have published case studies and research evidence to inform school practice on pupil grouping. Through our national strategies and gifted and talented programmes, we have issued guidance to schools to consider a range of ability grouping practices, which includes setting and streaming, to better meet the learning needs of pupils. As a result the evidence suggests that there are more young people taught in ability sets now, than in 1997.

Children's Centres

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress has been made in the establishment of children's centres.

Maria Eagle: I am delighted to report that we now have over 500 Sure Start children's centres, supporting nearly 400,000 children in the most disadvantaged areas. We are on course to have centres supporting 650,000 children being supported by children's centres by March. From April we will start rolling out children's centres beyond the most disadvantaged areas, as part of our drive to have 2,500 children's centres by March 2008. Our goal is to have 3,500 children's centres by 2010, one for every community.

School Discipline

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on school discipline.

Jacqui Smith: Although the great majority of schools are orderly places we remain determined to reduce misbehaviour to an absolute minimum. So we are implementing a major national programme that makes behaviour management training available to all schools and provides extra resources for schools facing the greatest challenges. We are also legislating to give school staff an unequivocal power to discipline pupils and extend the use of court orders to reinforce parents' responsibility for behaviour in school.

Education Standards

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment she has made of standards in education for 16 to 18-year-olds; and if she will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: This year saw the highest standards we have ever achieved at every key stage and at A-level. In the 14–19 Education and Skills White Paper and Implementation Plan, we set out our plans for a new 14–19 curriculum and qualifications entitlement which will transform opportunities for 16–19-year-olds and introduce greater stretch and challenge. There will be 14 sets of specialised diplomas, at three levels up to A-level equivalent, covering all sectors of the economy, delivered through partnership arrangements between schools, colleges and training providers.

Education Standards

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures her Department is taking to improve the standard of basic skills of school leavers.

Jacqui Smith: The 14–19 Education and Skills White Paper set out our plans. We will provide catch up opportunities at key stage 3; toughen GCSE English and maths so that no-one can get a higher grade without mastering the functional basics; make these a core element of our new specialised diplomas; introduce a general diploma to recognise those who achieve five good GCSEs or equivalent, including English and maths, and reflect this in the attainment tables.

Skills Olympics

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she is taking to bring the Skills Olympics to the UK.

Phil Hope: Following a successful Pre-Qualification Visit from the WorldSkills Executive in January, we are now preparing a formal bid to host the 2011 WorldSkills Competition in London. The final decision will be made in Melbourne on 10 May, by secret ballot of WorldSkills member countries. A period of international lobbying prior to this will focus on securing the votes of countries considered undecided or unlikely to vote for the UK.
	Our bid will focus on the UK's ability to raise WorldSkills' profile and reputation by giving the competition a global stage from which to spread its messages. We aim to establish links with media interest in the 2012 Olympics (held only six months after WorldSkills 2011) to associate world class achievement in sport with world class achievement in skills in the public mind, and change perceptions of vocational education and training positively and permanently.
	The social and economic diversity of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland offers a distinctive experience to competitors and observers alike, and a unique opportunity to extend the reach and impact of the competition to many different countries and communities.
	If our bid is successful, the Government will build a social partnership with individuals, partners and business to encourage skills investment across the UK. This will be a national wide celebration of world class vocational skills, and promises to be a very exciting time, with the potential to offer great economic and social rewards for the whole of the UK.

Education White Paper

Michael Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research was undertaken which supported the contents of the Education White Paper; and if she will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: A wide range of research was used to inform the White Paper and the policies contained within it.
	All the research commissioned by the Department is published on the Department's website when it is complete.

Language Teaching

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent guidance she has issued to schools on the teaching of foreign languages.

Jacqui Smith: On 27 January I wrote to all secondary schools setting out measures being introduced from September 2006. I expect all schools to set a benchmark for numbers of students studying languages leading to a recognised qualification at Key Stage 4. Schools will decide a target to set themselves between 50 per cent. and 90 per cent., dependant on their circumstances. Also, on 27 October 2005 the Key Stage 2 Framework for Languages was launched introducing languages into primary schools.

Departmental Expenditure

David Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she has taken to reduce the total administration costs of (a) her Department, (b) its non-departmental public bodies and (c) Ofsted; and what assessment she has made of the savings made as a consequence.

Bill Rammell: The Department has agreed budgets which reflect a commitment to make 15 per cent. efficiency savings in real terms in administrative expenditure by 2007–08, within the Department itself, and across the landscape of its non-departmental public bodies and Ofsted. We are monitoring spend across all these budgets to ensure spend does not exceed profiled levels.
	My Department reported progress towards our Gershon Review target in the Department's Autumn Performance Report. It will report further progress in the Departmental Annual Report which we expect to publish in April.

Higher Education

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on measures to promote fair access to higher education.

Bill Rammell: The Government remains committed to fair access and widening participation in higher education for reasons of social justice and economic need. In England, from 2006, no full-time student will have to pay fees up-front, nor will they repay anything until they leave higher education (HE) and are earning a reasonable wage. Repayments are suspended when not earning and interest will grow only in line with inflation. Students from low income households will once again be entitled to non-repayable grants.
	Alongside this, we have established the Office for Fair Access (OFFA) to promote fair access. OFFA has approved access agreements from 180 institutions intending to charge higher level fees. These will deliver around £300 million in financial support to students from low income backgrounds.
	In 2005–06, HEFCE has allocated £282 million to higher education institutions to help offset the costs associated with recruiting and retaining students from groups under-represented in HE.
	Our Aimhigher programme seeks to raise aspiration and attainment levels among those currently under-represented in HE. We have announced that Aimhigher will continue until at least 2008.
	In addition, we have set out proposals to reform the higher education applications process to make the system fairer to all applicants. We will publish our response to the consultation in the spring.

Higher Education

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what recent discussions she has had on the Higher Education Funding Council for England's review of its methods of funding teaching; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what representations she has received on the Higher Education Funding Council for England's proposal that funding for teaching in higher education institutions should be based on the number of credits obtained by students; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  if she will make it her policy that changes in the funding mechanisms for higher education institutions should provide those with a high proportion of part-time students with appropriate support.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 7 February 2006
	We discuss these matters on a regular basis with HEFCE. The council has been consulting the higher education sector on the future formula to be used for the distribution of grant for teaching. I am sure the council will consider carefully any arguments and evidence which are put forward in the consultation exercise on these issues. We have already brought forward proposals to provide additional support amounting to £40 million over the next two years for part-time students from non-traditional backgrounds.

Learning and Skills Council

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she is taking to encourage greater involvement of small companies in funding the Learning and Skills Council and its initiatives.

Bill Rammell: The Department funds a wide range of learning provision through the Learning and Skills Council's Learner Participation budget which is £6.7 billion for 2005–06. In April 2006 we will roll out Train to Gain which will target small and hard to reach employers in particular. Train to Gain will provide skills brokers whose role will be to help employers analyse their skill needs and source the training to meet those needs. Some of the provision will be funded by the LSC, employers themselves will contribute to the funding of other learning.

Learning and Skills Council

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how local Learning and Skills Council offices will be funded to deliver partnership arrangements and economic regeneration; and if she will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: As part of its restructuring plans, the Learning and Skills Council proposes to establish 148 local partnership teams which will work closely with their local communities, understand the needs of individuals and employers at grass roots level and build strategic relationships with local schools, colleges and other learning providers. The local partnership teams will work alongside 35 economic development teams which will focus on skills for employment, regeneration and economic development.
	The local partnership and economic development teams will be funded from within the LSC's existing administration budget. The new structure is expected to achieve savings of around £40 million, which can be reinvested in front-line delivery. The final agreed changes will take effect from summer 2006.

Learning and Skills Council

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures are in place to resolve differences between national and local priorities in the Learning and Skills Council, with particular reference to those between level 2 and level 3 obligations.

Bill Rammell: The Government's priorities for post-16 learning are set out in my right hon. Friend's annual Grant Letter to the Learning and Skills Council and in the LSC's Priorities for Success" document published in October 2005.
	The LSC has introduced a new business planning cycle which is helping to strengthen the local, regional and national planning process. The LSC's Annual Statement of Priorities, along with the more detailed guidance in Planning for Success" set out the priorities for the LSC. These provide the strategic framework for the development of local plans, which themselves reflect the key learning and skills priorities for the local area, as well as taking into account key national and regional priorities. National priorities include tackling basic skills and extending a new entitlement for fully funded first full Level 2 qualifications in all regions from September 2006. Through the mechanisms outlined above we anticipate a marked increase in the delivery and achievement of first full Level 2s from 2006–07 while also supporting progression to Level 3 and higher skills including technician, advanced craft and trade skills and apprenticeships for adults.
	The LSC's proposed new structure will help to further strengthen its ability to respond flexibly and rapidly to local priorities, while at the same time providing stronger drivers at regional level. The national office will continue to provide the overarching planning and funding framework.

Park Life Centres (Gloucestershire)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how Park Life centres in Gloucestershire will be funded after the movement of funds to regional offices of its Learning and Skills Council.

Bill Rammell: Parklife centres offer a valuable link between the key business parks and business support services in Gloucestershire. The initiative has been jointly funded by the South West Regional Development Agency and Gloucestershire LSC from its discretionary budgets. As my hon. Friend is aware, the Learning and Skills Council is undertaking a major organisational restructuring. However, this should not impact on local arrangements to support the Parklife project.

Qualifications

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of the population in (a) West Yorkshire, (b) Wakefield District and (c) Normanton constituency aged between 16 and 65 years have no qualifications.

Phil Hope: The following table shows estimates of the proportion of the population aged between 16 and 65 years who have no qualifications. Data come from the Local Labour Force Survey for 2004–05.
	
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 West Yorkshire 17 
			 Wakefield District 17 
			 Normanton constituency 11 
		
	
	Note:
	As with all sample surveys the estimates presented in this table are subject to sampling variability.

Student Finance

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment she has made of the period of time which elapses before student loans begin to be repaid; and if she will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: It is difficult to generalise about how long it takes people to find jobs after graduation and enter repayment as this is largely dependent on individual circumstances. The annual Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey (conducted by the Higher Education Statistics agency) illustrates this. For the 2003/04 cohort of graduates surveyed six months after graduation, 64 per cent. were in employment, 10 per cent. in employment combined with further study, 14 per cent. in further study, 6 per cent. unemployed, and 6 per cent. were not available for work. Of those in employment who gave details of their salary, nearly two thirds were earning £15,000 or more and were thus eligible to make repayments.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Bin Liners

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether local authorities have the power to charge their residents for bin liners; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Under section 46(1) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, waste collection authorities may serve notice on the occupier of a household requiring that specified receptacles be used for waste awaiting collection.
	Under section 46(3) of the Act waste collection authorities may propose that receptacles be provided on payment by the occupier. A bin liner may be classed as a receptacle.

Abandoned Vehicles

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many abandoned vehicles were removed and destroyed in each London borough in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Results for abandoned vehicles removed and destroyed have been reported in the DEFRA municipal waste management survey from 2000–01 until 2003–04. Results for 2004–05 onwards are being collected through WasteDataFlow. The results for London boroughs are shown in the table.
	
		
			 London 2000–01 2001–02 2002–01 2003–04 
		
		
			  
			 Barking and Dagenham 2,761 n/a 3,201 2,080 
			 Barnet 3,287 4,431 3,940 2,697 
			 Bexley 1,356 1,776 2,391 910 
			 Brent 3,471 4,115 4,184 1,775 
			 Bromley 3,895 4,215 3,129 1,086 
			 Camden 1,629 1,897 1,676 1,304 
			 City of London n/a n/a 158 140 
			 Croydon 2,878 4,376 4,200 4,000 
			 Ealing 3,754 4,916 3,975 4,352 
			 Enfield 4,711 6,347 4,973 3,318 
			 Greenwich 3,120 4,200 4,429 2,653 
			 Hackney 2,700 4,066 3,609 1,540 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,430 1,473 2,188 1,629 
			 Haringey 6,500 (1)4,560 5,900 1,950 
			 Harrow 1,914 (1)2,249 2,650 1,919 
			 Havering 1,250 3,126 2,086 1,584 
			 Hillingdon 2,286 3,128 3,741 807 
			 Hounslow 2,247 3,118 3,125 2,207 
			 Islington 2,619 3,643 2,748 1,703 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 195 232 265 209 
			 Kingston upon Thames 739 2,159 3,053 780 
			 Lambeth 3,308 3,775 3,577 1,669 
			 Lewisham 5,000 4,671 3,554 1,996 
			 Merton 1,683 2,140 2,165 2,256 
			 Newham 6,704 8,117 3,105 2,601 
			 Redbridge 1,562 2,219 2,005 1,152 
			 Richmond upon Thames 1,201 1,201 970 757 
			 Southwark 1,934 2,848 2,245 3,375 
			 Sutton 1,651 2,166 2,055 860 
			 Tower Hamlets n/a n/a 2,781 1,490 
			 Waltham Forest 2,716 3,466 3,351 2,358 
			 Wandsworth 2,571 2,794 2,753 2,156 
			 Westminster 496 333 336 301 
		
	
	n/a = not available.
	(1) GLA estimate.

Air Quality

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the local authorities that have passed orders declaring air quality management areas; and whether they are still in force.

Ben Bradshaw: The following local authorities in England have declared air quality management areas since the first declaration in 1999. Where the authority has subsequently revoked all of its air quality management areas, this is indicated in brackets after the authority name.
	Adur
	Aylesbury Vale DC
	Babergh DC (Revoked)
	Barnsley MBC
	Bath and North East Somerset
	Bedford BC
	Birmingham MBC
	Blaby DC
	Blackburn with Darwen BC
	Blackpool BC
	Blyth Valley BC
	Bolsover DC
	Bolton MBC
	Boston BC
	Breckland DC
	Brentwood BC
	Bridgnorth DC
	Brighton and Hove
	Bristol City Council
	Bromsgrove DC
	Broxbourne BC
	Broxtowe BC
	Bury MBC
	Calderdale MBC
	Cambridge City Council
	Carlisle City Council
	Charnwood BC
	Chelmsford BC
	Colchester BC
	Congleton BC
	Corporation of London
	Coventry City Council
	Dartford BC
	Derby City Council
	Doncaster MBC
	Dover DC
	Dudley MBC
	East Hertfordshire DC (Revoked)
	Eastleigh BC
	Ellesmere Port and Neston BC
	Elmbridge BC
	Erewash BC
	Exeter City Council
	Fenland DC
	Gateshead MBC
	Gedling BC
	Gloucester City Council
	Gravesham BC
	Harborough DC
	Hastings BC
	Herefordshire Council
	Hertsmere BC
	Hinckley and Bosworth BC (Revoked)
	Huntingdonshire DC
	Kensington and Chelsea, The Royal Borough of
	Kerrier DC
	King's Lynn and West Norfolk BC
	Kingston Upon Thames, The Royal Borough of
	Kingston-Upon-Hull City Council
	Lancaster City Council
	Leeds City Council
	Leicester City Council
	Lewes DC
	Lincoln City Council
	Liverpool City Council
	London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
	London Borough of Barnet
	London Borough of Bexley
	London Borough of Brent
	London Borough of Camden
	London Borough of Croydon
	London Borough of Ealing
	London Borough of Enfield
	London Borough of Greenwich
	London Borough of Hackney
	London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
	London Borough of Haringey
	London Borough of Harrow
	London Borough of Hillingdon
	London Borough of Hounslow
	London Borough of Islington
	London Borough of Lambeth
	London Borough of Lewisham
	London Borough of Merton
	London Borough of Newham
	London Borough of Redbridge
	London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames
	London Borough of Southwark
	London Borough of Sutton
	London Borough of Tower Hamlets
	London Borough of Waltham Forest
	London Borough of Wandsworth
	Luton Borough Council
	Maidstone BC
	Manchester City Council
	Medway Council
	Melton BC (Revoked)
	Mid Bedfordshire DC
	Mid Devon DC
	New Forest DC
	Newcastle City Council
	North Lincolnshire
	North Somerset (Revoked)
	North Warwickshire BC
	North West Leicestershire DC
	Northampton BC
	Norwich City Council
	Nottingham City Council
	Oadby and Wigston BC
	Oldham MBC
	Oswestry BC
	Oxford City Council
	Plymouth City Council
	Portsmouth City Council
	Preston BC
	Reigate and Banstead BC
	Rochdale MBC
	Rotherham MBC
	Rugby BC
	Runnymede BC
	Rushcliffe BC
	Rushmoor BC
	Salford City Council
	Salisbury DC
	Sandwell MBC
	Scarborough BC
	Sedgemoor DC (Revoked)
	Sevenoaks DC
	Sheffield City Council
	Shrewsbury and Atcham BC
	Slough BC
	South Bedfordshire DC
	South Bucks DC
	South Gloucestershire (Revoked)
	South Hams DC
	South Kesteven DC
	South Lakeland DC
	South Northamptonshire DC
	South Oxfordshire DC
	South Ribble BC
	South Somerset DC
	Southampton City Council
	Spelthorne BC
	St. Albans City Council
	St. Edmundsbury BC (Revoked)
	Stockport MBC
	Stoke-on-Trent City Council
	Stroud DC (Revoked)
	Surrey Heath BC
	Tameside MBC
	Taunton Deane BC
	Teignbridge DC
	Telford and Wrekin Council (Revoked)
	Tewkesbury BC
	Three Rivers DC
	Thurrock BC
	Tonbridge and Malling BC
	Torbay BC
	Trafford MBC
	Tunbridge Wells BC
	Wakefield City MBC
	Walsall MBC
	Warrington MBC
	Warwick DC
	Waverley BC
	West Oxfordshire DC
	West Wiltshire DC
	Westminster, City of
	Wigan Council
	Winchester City Council
	Windsor and Maidenhead, The Royal Borough of
	Wokingham DC
	Wolverhampton MBC
	Wycombe DC
	Wyre Forest DC
	York, City of

Bovine TB

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the likely change in (a) stores, (b) finished cattle and (c) fat cattle going to live auction market following the introduction of the requirement for testing for tuberculosis in cattle;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the likely effect on prices of (a) stores, (b) finished cattle and (c) fat cattle of the introduction of the requirement for testing for tuberculosis in cattle.

Ben Bradshaw: Pre-movement testing will be introduced in England on 20 February. It will apply to cattle over 15 months of age moving out of one-two year tested herds, unless the herd or the movement meets any of the exemptions set out in the TB (England) Order 2005 (as amended).
	The impact of pre-movement testing on cattle prices and auction markets was considered by the Tuberculosis Pre-Movement Testing Stakeholder Group. It is also addressed in a regulatory impact assessment, available on the Defra website at: www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/tb/premovement/index.htm.
	We will keep the policy under review.

Bovine TB

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs under what legislation the Department has the authority to block a second bovine tuberculosis test for a calf that tested positive to the initial tuberculin skin test when the owner is willing to pay for the test.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 6 February 2006
	The current skin test for bovine tuberculosis (TB) is an effective test. It is the accepted standard laid down in both national and international legislation for determining the existence of disease in a cattle herd.
	The Tuberculosis (England and Wales) Order 1984 requires cattle failing the tuberculin test, and those considered to have been direct contacts exposed to TB, to be compulsorily slaughtered. There is no provision for a second TB test nor is there a mechanism for appeals.
	In the case of statutory tuberculin testing of cattle, any request to release tuberculin for a further private test will always be declined by the Department. Approval for private tests is generally granted in the context of a test for purchaser assurance, or as a condition for cattle export in herds not subjected to tuberculosis restrictions.

Canada Geese

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reasons Canada geese treated for fishing line injuries in sanctuaries are not allowed to be released back into the wild.

Jim Knight: holding answer 6 February 2006
	As with other non-native species of goose that have become naturalised, the Canada goose can have a localised impact on habitats, This can include the destruction of vegetation, as well as competing with native wildfowl for food and resources, such as nest sites. They can also pose a health risk to other animals and humans, for example through deposited faeces. This is why the Canada goose was added to Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. It means that Canada geese are subject to the provisions of section 14 of the Act, and it is an offence to release them or allow them to escape into the wild.
	We have recently publicly reviewed the provisions of Part I of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 including the possible adoption of a general licence to allow the release of certain non-native species that have been rehabilitated. I am currently working up more detailed proposals on these issues for inclusion in a consultation paper that we hope to issue later this year. The Canada goose is one of the possible species under consideration.

Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the research projects being undertaken by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

Elliot Morley: The current research projects undertaken by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are listed as follows:
	1. A Literature Review and Gap Analysis of Grassland Restoration Research in the UK and Europe
	2. Acid Deposition Processes in the UK
	3. Bioenergetics of Salmon Migration
	4. Comparison of New and Existing Agri-Environment Scheme Options for Biodiversity Enhancement on Arable Land
	5. Conservation of Biodiversity in a Changing Climate
	6. Critical Loads and Dynamic Modelling for Acidity and Nitrogen
	7. Curation of the Data Collected in the Farm-Scale Evaluations
	8. Development of a Customised Global Information Systems Tool for Retrieving Node Information from River Networks to Assist the Modelling of Spread of Exotic Aquatic Pathogens
	9. Developing a UK-Wide Butterfly Monitoring Scheme: Integrating the Wider Countryside
	10. Environmentally Sustainable and Economically Viable Grazing Systems for Restoration and Maintenance of Heather moorland
	11. Environmentally Sustainable Techniques to Establish and Manage Wildlife Seed Mixtures, and Pollen and Nectar Seed Mixtures
	12. Farm Scale Evaluations: Further sampling of soil 5. Seed bank and Seedling Emergence
	13. Long Term Ecological Monitoring of the Managed Realignment Scheme at Tollesbury.
	14. Management of Wet Grassland Habitat to Reduce the Impact of Predation on Breeding Waders: Phase 1
	15. Modelling Concentrations and Deposition of Long Range Air Pollutants
	16. Multivariate Evaluation of the Health of a Sentinel Fish Species Exposed to STW Effluent (Endocrine Disruption in Catchments (EDCAT5))
	17. Novel Methods for Spatial Prediction of Soil Functions within Landscapes
	18. Novel Strategies to Exploit Existing Natural Infections: Synergisms between Baculoviruses and other Toxins.
	19. Preparing for Countryside Survey 2006 Phase 1
	20. Programme Management for EDCAT (phase 1)—EDCAT 1
	21. Regionalised Impacts of Climate Change on Flood Flows
	22. Restoration and Management of Bumblebee Habitat in Agricultural Landscapes
	23. Restoration of Wet Grasslands Through Re-Instatement of Surface Grips
	24. Spatial and Temporal Prediction of Steroid Hormone Concentrations in River Catchments (EDCAT2)
	25. Sustainable Management Strategies for the Creeping Thistle
	26. Targeted Monitoring of Atmospheric Pollution and Climate Change Impacts on Biodiversity
	27. Terrestrial Umbrella—Eutrophication and Acidification of Terrestrial Ecosystems in the UK
	28. The UK Application of the EMEP Model ((The cooperative programme for monitoring and evaluation of the long-range transmission of air pollutants in Europe)
	29. The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) International Co Operative Programme on Vegetation
	30. Towards Adaptation to Climate Change (England Biodiversity Strategy)
	31. Application of Eulerian Models at Fine Spatial Resolution
	32. Emissions by Source and Removals by Sinks due to Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry Activities.

Climate Change

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the National Assembly for Wales about extending the Climate Challenge Fund to Wales.

Elliot Morley: There have been no ministerial discussions about extending the fund to Wales. However, officials from Defra and the National Assembly for Wales have been in discussion about the scope of the initiative since its inception last year. Public communication on climate change is a devolved matter, so the existing resources for the fund are for England only. The fund could only be extended to the devolved Administrations if they were to contribute towards it.

Climate Change

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what date she expects to publish the outcome of the Climate Change Review.

Elliot Morley: We expect to publish the review of the UK Climate Change Programme as soon as possible.

Climate Change

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which Departments she has consulted as part of the Climate Change Review process; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 6 February 2006
	We have been working closely with other Government Departments throughout the Climate Change Programme review. We are aiming to publish the outcomes of this work in the revised UK Climate Change Programme as soon as possible this year.

Climate Change

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether it is her policy to secure a 20 per cent. reduction of UK carbon dioxide emissions by 2010.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 6 February 2006
	The Government remains fully committed to reducing UK carbon dioxide emissions by 20 per cent. below 1990 levels by 2010.

Commercial Developments (Energy Efficiency  Standards)

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking to promote zero carbon renewable energy systems in commercial buildings; and if she will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The Major PV Demonstration Programme has offered £3.7 million in grants to fund the installation of solar PV panels on commercial buildings. The Low Carbon Buildings Programme (to be launched in April, subject to state aids approval) will continue to provide grants for the installation of renewable energy systems in commercial buildings. In addition the Government strategy for the promotion of micro generation will aim to encourage the installation of small-scale renewable energy systems in all buildings.

Countryside and Rights of Way Act

Tom Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many and what mileage of new (a) byways and (b) bridleways have been created since the enactment of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.

Jim Knight: This information is held by local highway authorities and could be gathered only at a disproportionate cost.

Drought (Contingency Plans)

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what contingency plans are in place in case of drought in summer 2006.

Elliot Morley: Each water company has a drought plan to manage short term water shortages that contains various triggers to be used depending on the severity of a drought. The provision of drought plans became a statutory requirement in October 2005.

Drought (Contingency Plans)

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many gallons below their capacity level are the (a) reservoirs and (b) other areas of water supply that supply Leicester; and what these figures are as a proportion of their capacity level.

Elliot Morley: The Dove and Derwent reservoirs supply Leicester. The Dove is 94 per cent. full and the Derwent is 95 per cent. full. It would require 3,415 cubic metres (751,209 gallons) of water to bring these reservoirs to full capacity.

EU Habitats Directive

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the UK has implemented the EU Habitats Directive.

Jim Knight: Yes. In the UK there are three principal instruments transposing the directive:
	The Conservation (Natural Habitats etc.) Regulations 1994 (SI 1994 No. 2716) in relation to England, Wales and Scotland.
	The Conservation (Natural Habitats etc.) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1995 (SR 1995 No. 380), in relation to Northern Ireland; and
	The Nature Protection Ordinance 1991, in relation to Gibraltar.

Fuel Poverty

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to eradicate fuel poverty.

Elliot Morley: We have a PSA target in place that affirms our commitment to eradicate fuel poverty, as far as reasonably practicable, in vulnerable households in England by 2010. More information on the target, which is shared with the Department for Trade and Industry, and information on the targets in place in other parts of the UK, is available in the UK Fuel Poverty Strategy, published in November 2001.
	The Government's main tool for eradicating fuel poverty in the private sector in England is the Warm Front Scheme, which offers a range of heating and insulation measures to householders in receipt of one of a range of qualifying benefits. The Scheme has assisted over one million households since its launch in June 2000. The new phase of the Scheme got under way in June last year, and is better equipped to target and assist those most in need in a sustainable way. The Scheme benefited from a boost in fuel poverty funding in England announced in the 2005 pre-Budget report of £250 million. This is additional to the extra £140 million announced in the last Spending Review and takes DEFRA's total fuel poverty funding over the 2005–08 period to over £800 million.
	We are also working closely with colleagues across Government, not just with DTI but also ODPM, DWP, DH and HMT. Defra has a PSA Management Board that brings senior officials from these Departments together to monitor and tackle the range of issues relating to our targets. This ensures that the full policy agenda is properly considered, moving beyond the central tenets of energy efficiency and energy prices and taking in concerns relating to poor housing, benefit take-up, health risks and wider points relating to deprivation more generally.

GM Food

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the delegation from her Department which will attend the conference in April in Austria to discuss genetic modification in the EU will represent different shades of opinion on the subject of GM crops; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: The membership of the UK delegations which will attend the two conferences on genetic modification in April in Austria has yet to be finalised. However, those Defra officials who attend will represent agreed UK government policy on genetically modified organisms.

Greenhouse Gases

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will estimate the annual emission of methane gas emitted by (a) cattle, (b) sheep and (c) pigs; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 2 February 2006
	The following table presents the total UK emissions of methane (CH4) from cattle, sheep and pigs for the years 1990 and 2004, in million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO 2 equivalent). This data is taken from the most recent UK greenhouse gas inventory.
	
		
			  Methane emissions (Mt CO 2  equivalent) 
			 Category 1990 2004 
		
		
			 Cattle 15.85 14.25 
			 Sheep (includes goats and deer) 4.48 3.73 
			 Pigs 0.71 0.49 
		
	
	Between the years 1990 and 2004, annual UK methane emissions fell by 10 percent. for cattle, by 17 percent. for sheep and by 31 percent. for pig categories.

Greenhouse Gases

Eric Forth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the carbon dioxide emission levels were for (a) the United Kingdom, (b) the EU, (c) the USA, (d) Russia, (e) China, (f) India, (g) Japan, (h) Brazil, (i) Indonesia and (j) the world in the last year for which figures are available; and what her projections are for (i) 2020 and (ii) 2030.

Elliot Morley: The following table shows historical and projected carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions in million tonnes of CO 2 (MtCO 2 ) for the UK, EU, USA, Russia, China, India, Japan, Brazil, and Indonesia, together with global emissions.
	Countries submit emission estimates to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The UK, EU, USA, Russia and Japan are developed country (Annex I) Parties to the UNFCCC, and submit emissions inventories annually; the most recent year for which data are available is in general 2003. China, India, Brazil and Indonesia are developing country (non-Annex I) Parties to the UNFCCC; the most recent data they have submitted is for 1994. Annex I CO 2 emissions for 1994 are provided for comparison. The data in the table cover all sectors including land-use, land-use change and forestry. Global emissions are estimated as the sum of those submitted to the UNFCCC in 1994 by 136 participating countries, including all major developed economies, plus an estimated 680 MtCO 2 for emissions from international shipping and aviation which are not included in national totals under international reporting guidelines.
	The UK, EU, USA, and Russia have submitted projections to the UNFCCC for CO 2 emissions in 2020, and Japan has submitted projections for 2010. China, India, Brazil and Indonesia have not submitted projections. UK projections are have been updated for consistency with the inventory and projections information published in January 2006. Projections to 2030 are not available for any of the countries, although the UK policy, as set out in the 2003 Energy White Paper, is to put ourselves on a path to a reduction of some 60 per cent. by 2050.
	
		CO 2  emissions including LULUCF
		
			 MtCO 2 
			 Country 1994 2003 2020 
		
		
			 UK 559.2 559.2 (for 2004) 536.4 
			 EU 2,963.8 3,138.3 3,238.0 
			 US 4,327.8 5,013.5 6,763.0 
			 Russia 1,421.9 n/a (1,297.3 in 1999) 1,180–1,430 
			 China 2,666.0 n/a n/a 
			 India 793.5 n/a n/a 
			 Japan 1,104.6 n/a 1,183.7 (for 2010) 
			 Brazil 1,029.7 n/a n/a 
			 Indonesia 333.8 n/a n/a 
			 Global (136 countries) 21,090 n/a n/a 
		
	
	n/a = not available
	The International Energy Agency provides estimates of projected emissions from use of fossil fuels which indicate, for China and India respectively, increases of about 110 per cent. and about 140 per cent. over the period 1994–2020. Fossil fuels account for the majority of CO 2 emissions in China and India but do not include land-use, land-use change and forestry which in 1994 reduced emission from China by about +5 per cent. and increased those of India by about 8 per cent.
	For Brazil the IEA data indicate an increase of about 120 per cent. in emissions from fossil fuel use over the period 1994 to 2020; however this does not include projections of emissions from deforestation, which accounted for about three-quarters of total CO 2 from Brazil in 1994. We do not have projections specific to Indonesia. In total, emissions from world fossil fuel usage, including emission from international marine and aviation, are predicted by IEA to increase by 55 per cent. between 1994 and 2020.

Greenhouse Gases

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of carbon emissions generated by water desalination plants; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: Water companies have duties to maintain water supplies and the inclusion of desalination plants in their water resource plans is an option to overcome supply deficits. In considering planning permission for such plants, the planning authority will take into account sustainability factors including energy requirements and carbon emissions. Any appeal against a refusal of planning permission would come before the Secretary of State. One such appeal, by Thames Water, is currently before the Secretary of State for determination once a public inquiry has been held.

Incineration

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans her Department has to increase incineration capacity in England.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government have no plans to increase incineration capacity to any particular level; local authorities are responsible for deciding the most appropriate waste management facilities for their areas. Incineration with energy recovery is a sustainable option for the treatment of residual, post-recycling waste and preferable to landfill.

Landfill Licences

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to speed up the process of granting landfill licences.

Ben Bradshaw: The Environment Agency is responsible for determining applications for landfill permits. It set up the Strategic Permitting Groups (SPGs) in March 2003 to oversee Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) permitting applications. To date, the Environment Agency has determined some 1,150 applications for PPC permits received from the landfill and industry sectors.
	SPG operation has become more effective and quicker as the Groups have become established. Determination times have been reduced by 20 per cent. The Environment Agency intends to build on this in 2006 by continuing to improve the permitting tools, for instance, by updating permit templates to make them easier to use.

Official Gifts

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the gifts received by (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department in each of the last two years for which information is available; what the approximate value of each was; and how many were (i) accepted and (ii) returned.

Jim Knight: The Government publishes an annual list of gifts received by Ministers valued at more than £140. The list provides details of the value of the gifts and whether they were retained by the Department or purchased by the Minister.
	Information relating to the period 2003–04 and 2004–05 is available in the Library of the House.
	No details are held centrally of gifts to officials and this information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Organic Entry Level Stewardship

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will provide compensation for those farmers who have been unable to register their applications for Organic Entry Level Stewardship due to the timing of the provision of necessary data for farmers from the Rural Land Registry; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 7 February 2006
	It is not our intention to provide compensation for farmers who have been unable to submit applications for Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) or Organic Entry Level Stewardship (OELS) due to delays with the registration of land parcels on the Rural Land Register (RLR). Well in advance of the launch of the new scheme it was made clear to farmers and land managers that registration of land on the RLR would be a pre-requisite for joining the scheme. Environmental Stewardship (ES) is a voluntary environmental scheme and while we are aware that delays with land registration have caused difficulties for some farmers, we believe that reasonable steps have been taken to limit the impact of these delays as far as possible. All applicants who submit a valid application will secure a full five-year agreement, so although their entry to the scheme may have been delayed, they will not be disadvantaged. The Rural Development Service (RDS) will process all valid applications with a view to applying the earliest available monthly start date.

Waste Paper

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what guidance is offered by her Department to (a) private businesses and (b) other Government departments on minimising waste paper and paper usage;
	(2)  what guidance her Department issues to (a) private businesses and (b) other Government Departments on minimising waste paper.

Ben Bradshaw: Envirowise, funded by DEFRA and DTI, promotes the resource efficiency message to business, with an emphasis on prevention (avoidance and minimisation of production of waste—including paper). Envirowise solutions are driven by the specific needs of individual firms, to y improve their business practices, profitability and competitiveness. Since 1994, Envirowise has helped UK industry save more than £1 billion pounds. The BREW programme also funds initiatives which provide advice to businesses on minimising waste.
	From 1 November 2003, all new central Government Department contracts have been required to apply minimum environmental standards when purchasing certain types of product. At present standards have been set for 27 product types including copier paper (100 percent. recycled with a minimum being 75 percent. post-consumer waste) and paper for printed publications (minimum 60 percent. recycled of which 75 percent. should be post-consumer waste).
	Work is underway to expand this list to around 50 products (details can be viewed at:
	http://www.ogcbuyingsolutions.gov.uk/environmental/products/environmentalguickwins.asp)
	The OGC website also includes best practice advice for Government Departments.
	The Sustainable Procurement Task Force are due to produce an action plan in spring this year setting out recommendations to help enable the UK to be amongst the leaders in sustainable procurement by 2009. We cannot say anything about the content of the action plan as it has yet to be completed and agreed with taskforce members.

Pedigree Cattle

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice she received on the criteria for tuberculosis slaughter valuations for pedigree cattle (a) under six months and (b) over three years of age.

Ben Bradshaw: New table valuation based compensation arrangements for bovine tuberculosis were introduced on 1 February 2006. Under the new system, compensation rates for pedigree cattle are calculated monthly using the average sales price obtained for animals within the same category over the previous six months. For pedigree cattle there are 18 table categories. These categories, which are based on the animal's age, sex and sector, were drawn up with the assistance of industry advisors.
	There is no table value for pedigree cattle under 6 months. Animals that age would always be suckling, and it would be unusual to sell them without the dam.

Plant Imports

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the basis was for her application to extend the derogation on the import of plants under Commission Decision 2005/775/EC on 8 December 2005; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Under EC plant health legislation the import of certain genera of conifers from the Republic of Korea is normally prohibited. However, following interest from a number of traders and a request from the UK, a derogation allowing the import from the Republic of Korea of bonsai plants of the genera Chamaecyparis, Juniperus and Pinus was agreed by the European Commission in June 2002. A thorough assessment of the potential plant health risks associated with the import of such material was undertaken as part of the derogation process and stringent measures put in place, both pre-export in Korea and for handling the material on arrival in the EC, to mitigate any potential risk. The original derogation expired in 2005. Following a request from importers in the UK the derogation has been extended to 2007.
	There have been no instances of quarantine pests or diseases being found on material imported under the derogation.

Recycling Targets

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the Government's plans are for future recycling targets; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Waste Strategy 2000 set out national recycling and composting targets for household waste, of 25 per cent. in 2005–06, then 30 per cent. in 2010 and 33 per cent. in 2015. I recently consulted on options for local authority recycling/composting targets in 2007–08. Analysis of the responses is under way and there will be a formal announcement once a decision is made.
	For the longer-term, as part of the review of waste strategy, Defra is looking at what levels and what forms of targets will be the most efficient at continuing the recent improvements we have seen in waste performance. The review will take into account existing policy levers designed to drive the management of waste up the hierarchy (such as the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme, the landfill tax escalator, and the obligations on producers in relation to packaging and waste electrical and electronic equipment). The Government intend to publish a consultation document on the waste strategy review in the next few weeks, followed by a revised waste strategy in the autumn.

Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what time period elapsed between the publication of each Report by the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution and the publication of the official response by the Government; and what the time scale is for publishing outstanding responses.

Elliot Morley: The Government aims to respond to reports of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (RCEP) within one year of their publication. Government needs to consider fully the reports and their recommendations before responding, so response timings depend on the complexity of the reports and the need to take account of the development of policy and proposals for new legislation.
	There are two reports currently awaiting Government response:
	1. 25th Report: Turning the Tide—Addressing the Impact of Fisheries on the Marine Environment", launched in December 2004. The Government response will be published after the publication of the draft Marine Bill this year in order to reflect the new proposals under the Bill.
	2. Special report Crop Spraying and the Health of Residents and Bystanders", launched in September 2005. Government expects to publish its response to this report by the summer.
	Previous responses were issued as follows:
	
		
			 Report Date published by RCEP Date of Government response 
		
		
			 Main Reports (Command Papers)   
			 1st Report February 1971 March 1975(2) 
			 2nd Report: Three Issues in Industrial Pollution March 1972 March 1975(2) 
			 3rd Report: Pollution in some September March 1975(2) 
			 British Estuaries and Coastal Waters 1972 — 
			 4tn Report: Pollution Control: Progress and Problems December 1974 March 1975(2) 
			 5th Report: Air Pollution Control: an Integrated Approach January 1976 December 1982 
			 6th Report: Nuclear Power and the Environment September 1976 May 1977 
			 7th Report: Agriculture and Pollution September 1979 December 1983 
			 8th Report: Oil Pollution of the Sea October 1981 December 1983 
			 9th Report: Lead in the Environment April 1983 July 1983 
			 10th Report: Tackling Pollution-Experience and Prospects February 1984 December 1984 
			 11th Report: Managing Waste: The Duty of Care December 1985 September 1986 
			 12th Report: Best Practicable Environmental Option February 1988 December 1992 
			 13th Report: The Release of Genetically Engineered Organisms to the Environment July 1989 June 1993 
			 14th Report: GENHAZ-A System for the Critical Appraisal of Proposals to Release Genetically Modified Organisms into the Environment June 1991 December 1994 
			 15th Report: Emissions from Heavy Duty Diesel Vehicles September 1991 December 1992 
			 16th Report: Freshwater Quality June 1992 February 1995 
			 17th Report: Incineration of Waste May 1993 July 1994 
			 18th Report: Transport and the Environment October 1994 1996 Green Paper Transport: The Way Forward" addressed issues raised 
			 19th Report: Sustainable Use of Soil February 1996 January 1997 
			 20th Report: Transport and the Environment-Developments since 1994 September 1997 October 1998 
			 21st Report: Setting Environmental Standards October 1998 July 2000 
			 22nd Report: Energy-The Changing Climate June 2000 February 2003 
			 23rd Report: Environmental Planning, England March 2002 July 2003 
			 24th Report: Chemicals in Products-Safeguarding the Environment and Human Health June 2003 August 2004 
			
			 Special Reports   
			 Special Report: The Environmental Effects of Civil Aircraft in Flight November 2002 No official response but recommendations were incorporated in The Future of Air Transport" White Paper published in December 2003 
			 Special Report: Biomass as a Renewable Energy Source May 2004 October 2004 
		
	
	(2) Part of the consolidated response to the first four reports.

Special Protection Area Status

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what role English Nature plays in the planning process for special protection area status; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: As the statutory conservation advisor for England, one of English Nature's roles is to recommend sites to DEFRA that qualify as special protection areas (SPAs). Before making a recommendation, English Nature undertakes a scientific assessment of sites using the UK SPA selection guidelines (available at http://www.incc.gov.uk/page-1405). English Nature also carries out consultations with interested parties on behalf of the Department.

Seed Imports

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many lots of seeds for (a) maize and sweetcorn, (b) winter oilseed rape, (c) spring oilseed rape, (d) sugar beet, (e) fodder beet, (f) beetroot and (g) winter brassicas were imported into the UK in each of the last six years; and what the (i) weight and (ii) country of origin of the seeds was in each year.

Ben Bradshaw: Imports of seeds for sowing by country of despatch from 1999 to November 2005 are provided in the attached table.
	Note that oilseed rape seeds are not separated into winter and spring varieties. Also imports of fodder beet seed are not separated from salad beet seed. Information is only available on the quantity of seeds imported rather than the number of individual consignments.
	These statistics reflect levels of trade as recorded by traders. It is possible that some imports for consumption or processing have been inadvertently recorded as seed for sowing. They therefore need to be treated with a degree of caution.
	
		UK imports of Seeds for 1999 to November 2005
		
			 Tonnes 
			 Description Countries 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 January to November 2005 
		
		
			 Maize Seed Irish Republic 692 26 36 14,923 19,822 14,064 12,447 
			  France 1,676 1,607 5,521 3,899 3,120 2,587 5,788 
			  Netherlands 1,480 248 1,634 1,306 1,883 1,454 1,817 
			  Germany 1,967 1,156 1,020 2,315 1,270 868 731 
			  Chile — — — 109 130 — 12 
			  Spain — — — 107 — — — 
			  Italy — — — — — 89 — 
			  Others 14 18 10 14 44 43 85 
			  
			 Oil Seeds Germany 152 133 217 121,296 2,931 382 352 
			  France 103 147 212 49,652 15,397 19,598 3,562 
			  Australia — — 0 61,550 — 1 — 
			  Denmark 102 11  13,179 20 22 0 
			  Irish Republic  1 1 2,898 2,170 3,637 2,839 
			  Poland — — — 2,291 1 — — 
			  Netherlands 1 3 6 163 298 11 2 
			  Others 0 45 73 503 21 30 261 
			  
			 Sugar Beet Seed Italy — — 38 — 127 243 311 
			  Germany 134 101 119 168 67 10 8 
			  France 222 176 32 9 18 59 65 
			  Belgium 24 30 21 9 3 14 4 
			  Others 15 22 0 23 3 26 11 
			  
			 Beet other than Sugar Beet Netherlands 4,584 5,567 6,648 2,480 0 0 0 
			  Belgium 6,714 — 1,831 — — — — 
			  Germany 3,882 — — — 2,224 120 70 
			  France 35 2,862 1,265 17 33 3 3 
			  Denmark 830 1 0 0 0 — — 
			  Others 3 17 4 0 2 1 0 
			  
			 Salad beet seed and fodder beet root seed Netherlands (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 90 34 24 
			  U.S.A. (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 2 1 34 
			  Australia (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— — — 3 
			  
			 Brassicas Seed New Zealand 0 — 20 13 36 57 85 
			  U.S.A. 0 — 0 45 27 25 0 
			  Others 3 1 1 2 2 2 0 
			 Grand Total  22,633 12,172 18,713 276,970 49,741 43,385 28,515 
		
	
	(3) This was not recorded as a separate item until 2003
	Data prepared by Trade statistics, Food Chain Analysis 3, DEFRA
	2005 data is subject to amendments
	Source:
	H M Revenue and Customs

Severn Trent Water

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking to ensure a good service for customers of Severn Trent Water.

Elliot Morley: Customers of water and sewerage companies are entitled to guaranteed standards of service, as laid down in the Water Supply and Sewerage Services (Customer Service Standards) Regulations. These regulations, known as the guaranteed standards scheme, set minimum standards of services to be met for all customers and prescribe minimum payments where service is below these standards.
	The economic regulator Ofwat monitors the level of service provided to customers by water companies. Each company's performance against a number of measures is included in Levels of service for the water industry in England and Wales report 2004–05". Performance is measured against a number of indicators. Severn Trent's performance is acceptable or better for each of these measures. At reviews of price limits companies are rewarded for good performance and penalised for poor performance in delivering services to customers.
	Fair comparisons between companies depend on Ofwat receiving accurate information of a comparable nature from the companies. Following allegations by a member of Severn Trent's staff Ofwat is undertaking an investigation into the accuracy of information submitted by Severn Trent. The Serious Fraud Office is also investigating matters referred to it by Ofwat. Ofwat will shortly be publishing a report on its findings. The company has agreed that if it were found that customers had been overcharged any necessary corrections would be effected in a prompt manner to be agreed with Ofwat.

Social Exclusion

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans the Government have to provide core funding for (a) wheels to work and (b) wheels to learning schemes in rural areas.

Jim Knight: Across England there are 69 'wheels to work' and 'wheels to learning' schemes, providing short term transport solutions for young people who have difficulties accessing training, employment and educational opportunities. Many of the schemes have operated successfully for a number of years, supported by funding from a range of different sources.
	It is up to each RDA to determine the priorities for its region and, through its corporate plan, how they will achieve their agreed outcomes. A number of RDAs are planning ongoing support for 'wheels to work' schemes in their regions. For example, following a successful evaluation of the region's wheels to work schemes, Advantage West Midlands have determined to ensure a consistent region wide service is in place from the beginning of the 2006–07 financial year. The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) has commissioned a region-wide proposal to deliver a 'wheels to work' scheme across rural areas. This will draw on good practice from the ex-Countryside Agency schemes, which will come to an end on 31 March.
	Local authorities continue to be the main funders of transport in rural areas. And guidance for those who are seeking funding is available in the Countryside Agency's publication A guide to finding funding for Rural Transport Partnership projects", which is available at:
	http://www.countryside.gov.uk/Publications/articles/Publication_tcm2–20283.asp?bMultiplePDFs=true

Spent Nuclear Fuel

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much spent nuclear fuel has been stored in Wales in each year since 1997, (a) in total and (b) broken down by (i) low level waste, (ii) intermediate level waste and (iii) high level waste; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: Currently around 400 tonnes of spent fuel is stored in Wales. Spent fuel from Welsh reactors is of the Magnox type and is not regarded as waste and is routinely reprocessed at Sellafield. Reprocessing spent fuel there does create high level waste but there is no high level waste in Wales. More detailed information on the location of spent fuel at specific locations at specific times is not normally made public for security reasons.
	Data are not separately recorded for the wastes produced at Sellafield as a result of reprocessing spent fuel from Welsh reactors. However, there has been and still is intermediate and low level waste in Wales which arises from both reactor operations and radio-pharmaceutical production. Data from the 1998, 2001 and 2004 UK radioactive waste inventories have been used to generate the following table of wastes in Wales. The cost of obtaining annual figures exceeds the normal threshold.
	
		
			 Waste type 1998 2001 2004 
		
		
			 Low 161 633 558 
			 Intermediate 2,208 2,851 2,740 
			 High 0 0 0 
			 Total 2,369 3,484 3,298 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Units: cubic meters of waste in stock.
	2. Aggregated conditioned and not-yet conditioned volume fractions.

Syngenta

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the occasions on which she met representatives of Syngenta during (a) 2004 and (b) 2005.

Elliot Morley: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, did not meet with representatives of Syngenta during 2004 and 2005.

Syngenta

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when (a) she and (b) her officials last met representatives of Syngenta.

Elliot Morley: According to records dating back to 2002, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, has not met with representatives of Syngenta during this time.
	Officials in the Department dealing with GM policy have met with representatives of Syngenta as part of their regular engagement with industry and other key stakeholders. The last such meeting involving Syngenta was on 26 August 2005.

Timber

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment the Government have made of the compatibility of further legislative options for prohibiting the import of illegal timber into the EU with World Trade Organisation rules; and when she expects to make a decision on the compatibility of such options.

Elliot Morley: The European Commission's proposal to tackle illegal logging, the Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan, was adopted by Council Conclusions in October 2003. This included proposals for bilateral agreements with timber producing countries and a commitment that the Commission would investigate 'additional options' to tackle illegal logging. Government is frustrated at the time it has taken the European Commission to produce this additional options report.
	One of these 'additional options' could be measures to prohibit the import of all illegal timber into the EU. This option was raised at a European stakeholder consultation meeting held by the European Commission and the UK's Chatham House (the Royal Institute of International Affairs) in Brussels on 31 January 2006. Some support for the proposal was voiced as well as concern that the effective enforcement of such a ban would demand additional evidence on all imports of timber to the EU. As such demands would be unlikely to be required of domestic producers, this could raise the likelihood of a challenge in the World Trade Organisation.
	The European Commission will consider all the options and issues raised at the stakeholder consultation meeting and produce the delayed report on addition options by early summer 2006.
	Once the Report is published, Government will review the applicability of the options presented, including compatibility with the World Trade Organisation, before deciding what, if any, additional measures the UK Government will pursue at a national or EU level.

Correspondence

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects a reply to be sent to the letters of 12 July 2005 and 20 November 2005 to the Fisheries Minister on behalf of Mr Tom Purborough.

Ben Bradshaw: My reply to the hon. Member's letter of 12 July 2005 was sent on 17 October 2005. I will arrange for a further copy to be sent.
	We have no record of having received the hon. Member's letter of 20 November 2005.

Veterinary Surgeons

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many veterinary surgeons have abandoned farm animal practice in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 7 February 2006
	The Department does not hold this information. However, we are working with the veterinary profession to improve our understanding of the latest trends within farm animal practice. We contributed to the development of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons' survey of the profession for 2006 and we are also working with the British Veterinary Association, which is consulting its regional divisions on the availability of farm animal veterinary services.

Waste Management

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list levels of household waste recyling by each local authority in 2004–05.

Ben Bradshaw: Defra issued a News Release on the 2004–05 Best Value Performance Indicators of local authority recycling and composting rates on 23 January 2006. Both this news release and the individual local authority recycling and composting rates are available from the Defra website at: www.defraweb/news/2006/060123a.htm. The full list of individual local authority Best Vale Performance Indicators for 2004–05 can additionally be viewed on the Audit Commission's website at: www.audit-commission.gov.uk/performance/dataprovision.asp

Water

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations she has received on water supply shortages in East Sussex; and what plans she has to combat such shortages.

Elliot Morley: I have received no specific representations concerning water supply in East Sussex. Water companies have drought plans which set out how the company will continue to meet its duties to supply adequate quantities of wholesome water during drought periods with as little recourse as possible to drought orders and permits.

Water

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of (a) water shortage in East Sussex and (b) the possible effect of such shortages on consumer supply in (i) 2006 and (ii) the next five years.

Elliot Morley: We have asked the Environment Agency to monitor and report on the drought prospects for 2006. This will focus particularly on south-east England where the continuing drought is most pronounced.
	Any projected shortage in supply this year will be addressed though the relevant water company's drought plan. These plans set out how the company will continue to meet its duties to supply adequate quantities of wholesome water during drought periods with as little recourse as possible to drought orders and permits.
	For longer term planning water companies maintain 25 year water resource plans which seek to reconcile supply with anticipated demand. These water resource plans are produced voluntarily every five years at present but will become a statutory requirement under the provisions of the Water Act 2003. The Department is currently consulting on the exercise of the new powers in respect of statutory water resource plans.

Water

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much water on average was (a) available to and (b) consumed by each person in the UK in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by (i) water company and (ii) region.

Elliot Morley: The Director General of Water Services publishes data on the extent of water supply annually in the 'Security of Supply, Leakage and the Efficient Use of Water' reports, copies of which are available in the Library of the House. In 2004–05, the figures for England and Wales were as follows:
	
		
			 Water company Distribution input (Ml/d) Average household Consumption (l/h/d) 
		
		
			 Anglian 1,163 143 
			 Bournemouth and W Hants 164 167 
			 Bristol 287 153 
			 Cambridge 75 148 
			 Dee Valley 68 145 
			 Dwr Cymru 868 151 
			 Folkestone and Dover 46 159 
			 Mid Kent 163 167 
			 Northumbrian North 719 146 
			 Northumbrian South 464 158 
			 Portsmouth 180 159 
			 Severn Trent 1,925 132 
			 South East 391 173 
			 South Staffordshire 332 146 
			 South West 456 161 
			 Southern 586 157 
			 Sutton and East Surrey 161 173 
			 Tendring Hundred 30 125 
			 Thames 2,809 159 
			 Three Valleys 877 178 
			 United Utilities 1,953 142 
			 Wessex 372 146 
			 Yorkshire 1,287 145 
			
			 Region   
			 Midlands 2,257 139 
			 Eastern 1,733 143 
			 Northumbria 719 146 
			 NorthWest 1,953 142 
			 Southern 1,367 163 
			 SouthWest 456 161 
			 Thames 3,847 170 
			 Wales 936 148 
			 Wessex 823 155 
			 Yorkshire 1,287 145 
		
	
	Regional data for average household consumption are based on unweighted averages.

Water

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the (a) merits, (b) practicality and (c) costs of constructing a water grid to enable the transportation of large volumes of water over long distances.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 6 February 2006
	The Environment Agency is the statutory body with a duty to manage water resources in England and Wales. As part of the Agency's management role it has national and regional water resource strategies, published in 2001, which set out the pressures over the next 25 years.
	A good deal of water is already transferred within water companies' areas of operation, and between companies, to give individual companies greater flexibility to meet local shortages. The Agency's national strategy notes though that water transfers can be a relatively expensive option. Pipelines for long distance transfers are large and their construction may be disruptive. Pumping can consume much energy and add to carbon emissions.
	Water companies have statutory duties to maintain water supplies. It is for them to plan the investment necessary to deliver their services, including the necessary financial provision, and it is for Ofwat, in the light of companies' plans, to secure that companies carry out and are able to finance their functions. I am not aware that water companies collectively are considering the establishment of a water grid.
	The merits of a water grid would be considered by Ministers if applications for planning and other consents came before them for determination.

Wind Turbines

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effects of wind farms on wild birds; what research her Department has commissioned on the impact of wind turbines on wildlife; how many protected birds have been recorded as killed in collisions with wind turbines in the last five years; what steps her Department is taking to reduce the risks to birds of wind turbines; and if she will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: I have been asked to reply.
	Applications for consent for wind farms submitted to the DTI are accompanied by an environmental impact assessment that includes details of the likely impact of the project in question on the environment and wildlife, among other things. In considering an application, the Department will consult with a range of stakeholders, including the statutory advisers on nature conservation—English Nature and the Countryside Council for Wales, as appropriate—as well as others with an interest in the project. This ensures that decisions on whether to grant consent for a wind farm are considered in the light of the best available information about its likely impacts.
	The Department has established a Research Advisory Group to fund research into the impact of wind farms on the environment. This has included a joint study with wind farm developers and DEFRA to collect data on the distribution of sea birds in the three strategic offshore wind farm areas, the results of which will inform decisions on the grant of consent for wind farm projects in those areas. However, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) make clear that the available evidence suggests that appropriately positioned wind farms do not pose a significant hazard for birds. The RSPB's conclusion is supported by a report last year for the Swedish State Energy Authority, which found that only 14 of the total 1.5 million migrating seabirds that each year passes two wind farms at Kalmarsund in south east Sweden are at risk of being killed.
	In any case, the likely impact on wildlife must be kept in context. A paper in Nature, by a large group of scientists including one from the RSPB, indicated that in sample regions covering about 20 per cent. of the Earth's land surface—15 per cent. to 37 per cent. of species (not just birds) will be committed to extinction as a result of mid-range climate warming scenarios by 2050.

TRANSPORT

A1079

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many accidents there have been on the A1079 road in each of the last five years; and how many resulted in fatalities in each year.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  Total accidents Fatalities 
		
		
			 2001 59 3 
			 2002 59 2 
			 2003 55 3 
			 2004 59 4 
			 2005 (4)43 (4)4 
			 Total (4)275 (4)16 
		
	
	(4) Provisional data.

A21

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from the South East of England Regional Assembly regional prioritisation and the proposed A21 upgrade.

Stephen Ladyman: On 31 January the Government received the South East region's advice on funding priorities, including schemes on the A21. This was submitted jointly by the South East of England Regional Assembly and Development Agency.

Heathrow Noise Review

Alan Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what account his Department took of the potential impact of the Review of the British Airports Authority Heathrow Noise Fines Fund in preparation of the Civil Aviation Bill; what discussions his Department has had with the review team; what assessment he has made of itsterms of reference; when he expects it to report; andwhether his Department plans to respond to its findings.

Karen Buck: The BAA Heathrow Noise Fines Fund is a matter for the airport operator concerned. The Department is aware that BAA is reviewing this fund, but has not discussed it with the review team or made any assessment of the review's terms of reference.

Highway Policy

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to permit traffic to turn left at red lights.

Stephen Ladyman: No.

Light Dues

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  if he will assess the ruling of the Petitions Committee of the European Parliament in favour of a petition from the Independent Light Dues Forum, with particular reference to the Petitions Committee's request that the European Commission and the Internal Market Committee of the European Parliament begin a preliminary investigation into the compatibility of the British-Irish subsidy of navigational aids with the treaty establishing the European Community;
	(2)  whether he has conducted research into the likely consequences of the European Parliament and the European Commission finding that the Irish subsidy regime on navigational aids is incompatible with the Single Market.

Stephen Ladyman: We have received no notification or approach for information from either the European Commission or the European Parliament's Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection. We will await their consideration of the petition before deciding whether further action needs to be taken.

Rail Safety

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of trains are fitted with data recorders; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: All passenger and freight trains that operate on Britain's mainline rail network are fitted with a form of data recording system. The data recorded include information such as train speed, the brake controller position and brake equipment response. The information can be used to record and monitor a driver's and the train's performance. It is also of vital importance for investigating rail incidents.

Stage Cottage

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what refurbishment work has been undertaken at Stage Cottage, Hurst Green, East Sussex; and what the total cost of this work is expected to be.

Stephen Ladyman: Stage Cottage has undergone substantial re-decoration and refurbishment to make it suitable for the rental market. The ground floor bathroom has been converted into a study and a new family bathroom has been created upstairs. Floors in the kitchen, utility areas, and family bathroom have been tiled. Some bedroom walls have been re-boarded and plastered. The master en suite has been converted into a shower room. A large range cooker has been provided in the kitchen. Curtain poles have been fitted to windows and blinds fitted to kitchen and bathroom. Externally unstable paving slabs have been removed and the area re-turfed. A rendered wall has been redecorated and the fascia and soffit boards have been repaired and redecorated. The total cost of the work is £22,000.00 plus vat. This expenditure will be recovered from rental income within the next two to three years and reduced maintenance costs during the letting period.

Transport Demand Research

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with the Association of Train Operating Companies regarding using peak fare differentiation as a means of demand management on the railway network; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 8 February 2006
	The possibility of cheaper shoulder-peak fares to spread peak travel demand is one of many fares-related issues which need to be considered. However, no discussions with operators have yet been held.

Vegetable Oil

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has spent on research into the use of vegetable oil as a fuel in each of the last five years.

Stephen Ladyman: The only such research this Department has funded was a study in 2003 of the relative emissions performance of two light duty diesel vehicles using various fuels, including unprocessed vegetable oil. The study showed that the use of unprocessed vegetable oil could result in significant increases in emissions of certain air pollutants compared to the use of ultra low sulphur mineral diesel. The total cost of the study was £80,153, and the results are available at http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_roads/documents/page/dft_roads_027622.pdf

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Accountancy Profession

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what dates he (a) wrote to and (b) met with representatives of the recognised supervisory bodies in relation to their policies on ethnic monitoring and racial discrimination within the UK accountancy profession.

Gerry Sutcliffe: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not written or met with representatives of the recognised supervisory bodies in relation to their policies on ethnic monitoring and racial discrimination

Alternative Fuels

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when companies will be able to bid for the £15 million funding package for UK demonstrations of hydrogen and fuel cell energy technologies announced by his Department on 14 June 2005.

Malcolm Wicks: The precise timing of the launch of the demonstration scheme is dependent upon EC state aid approval. The department is working up the details of the demonstration scheme in discussion with industry players, and has begun the process of obtaining EC state aid approval. The Department will publicly invite bids for project proposals when such approval has been obtained.

Carbon-free Electricity

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research the Government are (a) commissioning and (b) sponsoring on the development of a hydrogen-based economy, with particular reference to the production of carbon-free electricity.

Malcolm Wicks: The DTI commissioned two reports in 2004 in relation to hydrogen: Hydrogen Energy Support in the UK" and A Strategic Framework for Hydrogen Energy in the UK". These reports have been published on the Department's website 1 .
	Government research funding includes support for industrial collaborative research and development for fuel cell and hydrogen technologies through the DTI's Technology Programme. The programme seeks to advance these technologies for both stationary power generation and transport applications, with a view to achieving the cost reductions and performance levels necessary for commercial deployment. This support currently amounts to approximately between £2 million–3 million per annum.
	Basic research in universities on both fuel cells and hydrogen is supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), including through the SUPERGEN initiative. SUPERGEN supports the UK Sustainable Hydrogen Energy Consortium (UK SHEC) which has received funding of £2.5 million. This programme is supporting projects on: hydrogen generation; hydrogen storage; and socio-economic implications for a hydrogen economy. In addition to SUPERGEN, EPSRC has awarded £1 million to investigate the potential role of formic acid as a chemical method for the storage of hydrogen. £500,000 has been granted to three projects on fundamental science and engineering relevant to the hydrogen economy. EPSRC also contributes to projects through the DTI's Technology Programme. More widely, the research councils EPSRC, ESRC, and NERC have recently established the UK Energy Research Centre.
	Hydrogen and fuel cell projects are also eligible to apply to the Carbon Trust for research funding. The list of projects currently funded (including those that relate to hydrogen and fuel cells) is available on their website at: http://www.thecarbontrust.co.uk/carbontrust/low_carbon tech/dlct2_l_4.aspx.
	On 15 June 2005, I announced the Government's response to the report A Strategic Framework for Hydrogen Energy Activity in the UK" 2 which includes a funding commitment of £15 million over four years for a UK wide hydrogen and fuel cell demonstration programme. The demonstration scheme is currently in preparation, and will require EC state aid approval.
	The Government have also provided funding of over £450,000 for the trial of three hydrogen-powered fuel cell buses in London as part of the EU CUTE (Clean Urban Transport in Europe) project. £7.5 million of funding has been provided for the fuel cell and low carbon vehicle technology Centre of Excellence (CENEX) based in Loughborough.
	The Department for Transport announced in January, as part of their Horizons innovative research programme, a competition for projects to investigate the options for the further steps required to move to the adoption of a hydrogen transport infrastructure. It is hoped to support between two and four projects examining the practicality and timing of the introduction of the required infrastructure to support hydrogen-fuelled vehicles at a cost of up to £500,000.
	1 The text of these reports is freely available at: http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/sepn/hydrogen.shtml.
	2 The Government's response is also available on the website.

Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he made of likely job losses at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

Barry Gardiner: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given in another place on 18 January 2006, Official Report, column WA107 by my noble Friend Lord Bach, the Minister with responsibility for farming and food to the noble Baroness Byford.

Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people have been employed by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in each of the last five years.

Barry Gardiner: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 January 2006, Official Report, column WA102 to my hon. Friend the Member for Bridgend (Mrs. Moon).

Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the estimated cost of his restructuring proposals for the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

Barry Gardiner: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given in another place on 30 January 2006, Official Report, column WA3 by my noble Friend the Minister for Science and Innovation to the noble Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer.

Civil Servants (Overseas Visits)

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what costs were incurred by his Department as a result of sending civil servants on overseas visits in each of the last 10 years.

Alan Johnson: Overseas Travel and Subsistence for the Department of Trade and Industry has been carried out in compliance with the requirements of the Civil Service Management Code and the expenditure for the past three financial years is shown in the following table. Information for the other years requested is not readily available on a consistent basis and would be available only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 Financial year Expenditure on Overseas Travel and Subsistence (£000) 
		
		
			 2002–03 5,508 
			 2003–04 5,684 
			 2004–05 5,484

Departmental Paper

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of total paper consumption by his Department in their conference and seminar literature was recycled paper, in the last year for which figures are available.

Alan Johnson: The information on conference and seminar literature is not separated from the Department's general marketing materials. All the marketing literature that is handled centrally (by the Department's Marketing Directorate) is printed on recycled paper.

Energy Supplies

Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the Eurobarometer Public Opinion Survey on attitudes to renewable energy and nuclear power, published by the European Commission on 24 January.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government has noted this survey. In bringing forward proposals to help the UK meet its medium and long-term energy policy goals, we will take account of the opinions and evidence (including this survey) brought forward in the consultation exercise that was launched earlier this year.

Estate Agent Regulation

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  if the Government will undertake a consultation on (a) how to strengthen regulation of estate agents, (b) the setting up of a redress mechanism, (c) possible qualifications and national quality standards for estate agents and (d) measures to increase the effectiveness of the Office of Fair Trading and local trading standards departments in protecting consumers and making estate agents' dealings with consumers more transparent following the March 2004 report by the Office of Fair Trading;
	(2)  if he will bring forward legislation to regulate estate agents; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Yes. It remains our intention to issue a consultation document covering the issues raised by the Office of Fair Trading report, and developments since then.
	The Government have also made clear their intention to bring forward legislation when parliamentary time permits to expand upon the provisions of the Housing Act 2004 relating to a redress scheme for estate agents. We intend to allow a statutory redress scheme to deal with a wider range of consumer complaints against estate agents and to provide for redress schemes in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

European Union Directives

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations have been received on the proposed (a) waste electrical and electronic equipment directive and (b) the restrictions on hazardous substances directive; what response the Government have made to those representations; and what estimate has been made of the (i) cost and (ii) other implications of implementation.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government have received a large number of representations on the proposed waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) directive as well as on the restrictions on hazardous substances (RoHS) directive.
	As I announced on 14 December 2005, we are in the process of reviewing progress on implementation of the WEEE directive. We will make an announcement in due course, which will take into account the representations made to us during the review.
	The Government's view of the costs and implications of the implementation of the WEEE directive were set out in our regulatory impact assessment (RIA), which is available on the DTIs website. Any revised proposals would be the subject of a further RIA. I also refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 1 February 2006, Official Report, column 553W.
	The RoHS directive has already been transposed into UK law and will enter into force in July 2006. The RIA for the implementing regulations, together with information about representations made to the DTI, are available on the Department's website.

Executive Agencies

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what (a) targets, (b) advice and (c) guidance his Department has given to executive agencies that fall under the remit of his Department on the reorganisation of their administrative functions on a regional basis; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Johnson: My Department has not issued any such guidance and advice to its executive agencies.

External Consultants

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much his Department has paid since 2004 to external consultants who had previously been employed by the Department in any capacity within the previous five years.

Alan Johnson: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Money Transfer Services

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received on the regulation of international money transfer services.

Ivan Lewis: The Treasury has consulted a wide range of stakeholders in relation to a variety of issues related to the regulation of international money transfer services.
	In particular, the Treasury has participated in a series of seminars aimed at consulting the industry on the future direction of the UK's regulatory regime for money service businesses.
	In addition, Treasury officials have discussed forthcoming European legislation on payment systems in detail with a variety of stakeholders in the international money transfer market on a number of occasions.

New Delhi Declaration

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how co-operation between India and the United Kingdom in the fields of (a) civilian nuclear activities, (b) civilian space programmes and (c) high technology trade has changed since the 2002 New Delhi Declaration.

Ian Pearson: The information requested is as follows.
	(a) Civilian Nuclear Activities
	The UK Government seeks to promote scientific, technological and academic co-operation with India, consistent with our international commitments. India is a key international partner and we attach great importance to developing our strategic partnership on civil nuclear activities and to stopping onward proliferation. In August 2005, the Government revised the position adopted in 2002 on our policy regarding the export of nuclear related items to India. The restrictions now in force are less stringent than that in force in 2002 and conform to the UK's current international obligations and non-proliferation commitments. The effect of our approach is to refuse only those exports or scientific contacts that are of serious concern, taking into account the circumstances of each particular case.
	(b) Civilian Space Programmes
	The British National Space Centre (BNSC) held a meeting with the Indian National Institute of Advanced Studies to discuss areas of collaboration, in December 2004. We continue to look for further opportunities to co-operate bilaterally with India and in multilateral fora.
	The British High Commission in New Delhi is working with the Indian Space Research Organisation on space programmes.
	A workshop on using Earth Observation to measure the effects of climate change on agricultural productivity is due to take place from 28–30 March 2006. Two of BNSC's partner organisations, the Natural Environment Research Council and the Met Office are also involved.
	(c) High Technology
	The UK-India joint economic and trade committee (JETCO) has followed up on the 2002 Delhi Declaration with high technology as an area for bilateral co-operation. The most recent discussions were held on the 30 January 2006 in London by the JETCO working group to explore synergies and co-operation in the area of high technology. The group presented its report to the Secretary of State for the Department of Trade and Industry and the Indian Minister of Commerce and agreed that they would focus on collaboration in the biotechnology sector, advanced manufacturing, and forging alliances between high technology regions in India with clusters in the UK.

North Sea Energy Reserves

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions he has had with the Norwegian Government regarding North sea energy reserves; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has had no such discussions. However, I have met the Norwegian Energy Minister on three occasions—on 26 October 2005, 31 November 2005 and 2 February 2006. We discussed a wide range of energy related issues including matters relating to the recovery of North sea oil and gas resources and carbon capture and storage.
	Officials from the Department of Trade and Industry also regularly meet their counterparts in the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate and the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy to discuss ways of maximising the economic recovery of hydrocarbons from the North sea. This includes the review of future exploration, appraisal and development activities in both countries.
	Since the beginning of 2005, co-operation between UK and Norwegian Governments have resulted in the approval of six development projects involving Norway, including the construction of the Langeled pipeline to Easington in Yorkshire and the redevelopment of the transboundary Statfjord field. The Langeled pipeline, which is due to deliver gas to the UK later this year, will also deliver gas from the Norwegian Ormen Lange field when the field begins production in 2007. New pipeline infrastructure will also be built as part of the Statfjord redevelopment and will provide further capacity to deliver gas from major new gas reserves being developed on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.

Nuclear Power

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions he has had with the Welsh Assembly Government on the future of nuclear power.

Malcolm Wicks: Neither my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry nor I have had recent discussions with the Welsh Assembly Government which relate specifically to the future of nuclear power.

Nuclear Power

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much it cost to dispose of spent nuclear fuel in Wales from the (a) Trawsfynydd and (b) Wylfa nuclear power plants in each year since they were built; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: It is not current UK policy to dispose of spent nuclear fuel and therefore no costs have been incurred to dispose of spent nuclear fuel in Wales.

Nuclear Power

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been spent from public funds on (a) purchasing and (b) moving uranium for use in the (i) Trawsfynydd and (ii) Wylfa nuclear power plants in each year since they were built; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Until the creation of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority on 1 April 2005, the now decommissioning power station at Trawsfynydd and the operating nuclear station at Wylfa were owned by BNFL, Magnox Electric Ltd or its predecessors, during which time no public funds were spent on purchasing and moving uranium for use in the Trawsfynydd and Wylfa power plants. Operational costs were matched year on year by income from electricity generation.

Nuclear Power

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been spent from public funds on (a) moving spent fuel out of Wales and (b) disposing of nuclear fuel from the (i) Trawsfynydd and (ii) Wylfa nuclear power plants in each year since they were built; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Until the creation of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority on 1 April 2005, the now decommissioning power station at Trawsfynydd and the operating nuclear station at Wylfa were owned by BNFL, Magnox Electric Ltd or its predecessors, during which time no public funds were spent on moving spent fuel out of Wales from the Trawsfynydd and Wylfa power plants. Operational costs were matched year on year by income from electricity generation.
	It is not current UK policy to dispose of spent nuclear fuel and therefore no costs have been spent from public funds on disposing of nuclear fuel from Wales.

Nuclear Power

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the timetable for planning the clean-up of ex-military and civil nuclear programmes; and which companies are advising him on the project.

Malcolm Wicks: The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority assumed responsibility for the decommissioning and clean up of the UK's civil nuclear legacy on 1 April 2005. It now has responsibility for nuclear sites previously operated by UKAEA and BNFL. Its remit is to provide national strategic control and direction to deliver accelerated clean up at its sites whilst maintaining high standards of safety. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has set out its proposed approach to the decommissioning and clean up of its sites in its draft Strategy. The Scottish Ministers and I have until 31 March to consider and approve the NDA's proposed Strategy. Further information is available on the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority website at www.nda.gov.uk

Parliamentary Questions

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he will provide an answer to question 10236, on departmental expenditure, tabled by the hon. Member for Monmouth on 4 July 2005.

Alan Johnson: According to our database this question was answered on 21 July 2005 but, unfortunately did not find its way into the Official Report for that day. The answer was as follows:
	Expenditure on advertising by my Department through COI for 2000/1, 2001/2, 2002/3, 2003/4 and 2004/5 was £6.1 million, £9.4million, £11.5million, £4.1 and £2million respectively. Figures include advertising by the Small Business Service and exclude VAT".

Press Complaints

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on how many occasions since 1 April 2003 he has complained to the Press Complaints Commission about the coverage in the press of (a) Ministers or officials and (b) his Department; and how many of these complaints were upheld.

Alan Johnson: The Department of Trade and Industry has not made any complaints to the Press Complaints Commission about press coverage of (a) Ministers or officials or (b) the Department since 1 April 2003.

Renewable Power

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of the renewable power generated in England and Wales was accounted for by co-firing in 2004–05.

Malcolm Wicks: In 2004, 7.2 percent. (or 1,022 GWh out of 14,171 GWh) of renewable power generation in the UK came from the co-firing of bio fuels. We do not have statistics for England and Wales only.
	Information on electricity generated from renewable sources is published in the Digest Of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES). A copy of DUKES is available from the Libraries of the House.

Renewable Power

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to reduce surplus co-fired renewables obligation certificates; and what assessment he has made of the implications for (a) their market price, (b) co-firing and (c) carbon dioxide emissions.

Malcolm Wicks: Under the rules on co-firing within the renewables obligation, licensed electricity suppliers can meet up to 25 percent. (from 1 April 2006, this changes to 10 percent.) of their obligation by presenting renewables obligation certificates (ROCs) from co-fired generation.
	Above this level, co-fired ROCs cannot be redeemed. For this reason, we would not expect the market to generate a significant number of surplus co-fired ROCs, and any surplus would only arise due to miscalculation on the part of electricity suppliers or co-firers.

Renewable Power

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assistance is available to microgenerators in relation to the sale of renewables obligation certificates.

Malcolm Wicks: Sale of Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs) is a matter for the generator concerned. However, the Government does recognise the barriers that microgenerators may experience in accessing the benefits of the Renewables Obligation (RO) and intends to introduce several measures, through the Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Private Member's Bill, which will make this easier. In particular, allowing agents to act on behalf of small generators and to amalgamate output for several small generators as well as the removal of the need for a sell and buyback agreement. The detail of these changes will be set out in secondary legislation and subject to full consultation.

Shell

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish his Department's report on Shell's oil and gas reserves.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department has not made a report on Shell's oil and gas reserves. The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is responsible for regulating the financial services industry and investigating potential cases of market abuse. The FSA formally investigated various issues surrounding the oil and gas reserves announcements made by Shell leading up to Shell's announcement in January 2004 in which it restated its hydrocarbon reserves. The FSA's Final Notice setting out its findings in relation to Shell is available on the FSA website (www.fsa.gov.uk). Shell also published the conclusions of its own inquiry in April 2004.

Singapore

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make it his policy to negotiate a free trade agreement with Singapore.

Ian Pearson: The European Commission has competence for trade policy, and conducts all trade negotiations on behalf of EU member states.
	The UK and the EU's number one trade priority remains a successful conclusion to the Doha Development Agenda (DDA). The multilateral rules-based system, under the WTO, is the most effective means of managing and expanding trade relations. However, the EU has not ruled out a possible expansion to its network of bilateral and regional trade agreements once the DDA negotiations have been completed and will evaluate the merits of any future proposals on a case-by-case basis.

Zirconium Silicate (Iran)

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry with which company his Department had discussions about the export of zirconium silicate to Iran (a) before its shipment in September and (b) subsequent to this shipment's interception by the Bulgarian authorities; whether the company informed the Department (i) to whom they were supplying this material and (ii) what its end use was; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 6 December 2005
	The DTI did not discuss the export in question with any company prior to its shipment. The goods were not controlled for export from the UK and the exporter was not therefore required to submit an export licence application when he would have been required to provide details of the end-use and end-user of the goods. Subsequent to its interception by the Bulgarian authorities however, DTI was in contact with the exporter who provided full information about the consignment, including its end-user and expected end-use.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Broadcasting

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many households are unable to receive (a) Channel 5 and (b) Freeview, broken down by Government office region; whether her Department plans to offer these households a reduction in their licence fee; and if she will make a statement.

James Purnell: Information on the availability of television services by Government office region is not held centrally. For the United Kingdom as a whole, the Channel 5 analogue service is available to an estimated 80 per cent. of households and Freeview services to 73 per cent.
	The Government have no plans to offer households unable to receive these services a reduction in their television licence fee. The level of the licence fee has never varied according to the range of services that can be received. The vast majority of UK households can, with the right equipment, access the free to view digital channels, including Channel 5, via either terrestrial, satellite or cable platforms.
	Following digital switchover the coverage of digital terrestrial television will match current analogue levels, all of whom will also be able to watch the BBC's digital channels.

Departmental Expenditure

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent on advertising by (a) her Department, (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) executive agency for which her Department is responsible and (c) each independent statutory body, organisation and body financially sponsored by her Department in each year since May 1997.

David Lammy: The Department had a zero spend on advertising from 1997 to 2002. The expenditure on advertising from 2003 has been as follows:
	
		
			  Spend (£) 
		
		
			 2003–04 (5)20,987 
			 2004–05 (5)37,085 
			 2005–06 (6)153,545 
		
	
	(5) BBC Charter
	(6) Licensing
	Information on advertising spend by non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies and independent statutory bodies is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Library Closures

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment the Government have made of the causes of public library closure for those due to do so in (a) 2005–06 and (b) 2006–07.

David Lammy: Public libraries are delivered by local authorities. Of those authorities who are reported to be considering library closures currently, I understand that the rationale ranges from service restructuring following review processes to budget-setting considerations. I recognise that locally elected representatives are best placed to judge the needs of the people they serve.
	However, I also believe that public libraries are valuable community assets and local decision makers should think carefully about what might be lost through closures.

London Olympics

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Warley of 8 December 2005, Official Report, column 1469W, on the London Olympics, when her Department expects the Local Employment and Training Framework for the London Olympic and Paralympic games to be published; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The Government are committed to using the London 2012 Olympic games and Paralympic games to maximise the potential for job creation, training and business growth so that the games leave a lasting social and economic, as well as physical, legacy for London and the rest of the UK. The Government and the Mayor for London have supported the setting up of the London 2012 Employment and Skills Task Force. It will work to ensure effective support for both local people, and those drawn from across London, in accessing direct and indirect employment opportunities arising from the games.
	The London Development Agency (LDA), together with the local boroughs and other partners, is working to ensure that communities located in and around the Olympic park are well placed to benefit from the opportunities offered by the games. The Local Employment and Training Framework (LETF), a condition of the Olympic planning permissions, is a first step in this process.
	A draft LETF document has been submitted by the LDA to the Joint Planning Authorities Team (JPAT) as a basis for negotiation. These negotiations will be concluded in the next few weeks with the submission of a final revised document to JPAT for formal consultation. At the conclusion of this consultation process the four local planning authorities of Newham, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest and Hackney, in conjunction with Greenwich council, will then make a decision regarding the framework. The precise date of this decision is for the local authorities themselves to determine and, as such, is not yet known.

London Olympics

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 30 January 2006, Official Report, column 50W, on the Olympic games, if she will list the occasions on which (a) the Inter-Departmental Steering Group and (b) the network of Olympic co-ordinators have met; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: As I explained to the hon. Member on 2 February 2006, Official Report, column 640W the inter-departmental steering group and the network of Olympic co-ordinators will meet on a quarterly basis.

London Olympics

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the 2012 London Olympic Games will use renewable energy derived from fuel cell technology.

Richard Caborn: Renewable energy will play a vital role in fulfilling the commitment to host 'low carbon Games' in 2012. While plans for energy provision at the Games are, as yet, at an early stage, fuel cell technology will certainly be one of the techniques considered as the programme moves forward.

London Olympics

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will place in the Library a copy of the local government finance data and methodology used to calculate how much the proposed Olympics precept on London council tax bills would rise over 10 and 12 years.

Phil Woolas: I have been asked to reply.
	Council tax is one element of a public funding package, which has been put in place to cover the cost of hosting the Games. This package includes provision for up to £1.5 billion of lottery funding and up to £625 million from London council tax.
	The council tax element of the funding package is a matter for the Mayor and the Greater London Authority (GLA).

Looted Works of Art (Nazis)

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the number of works of art in public collections which are thought to have been looted by the Nazis;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the number of objects in museums or galleries for which her Department has responsibility that are considered to be objects stolen by the Nazis.

David Lammy: The National Museums Directors' Conference, which is funded by Government to represent national UK museums, maintains a database on its website of items held in national collections which may be of uncertain provenance during the 1933–45 period. It has made no estimate of the number which are thought to have been looted by the Nazis.

Parliamentary Questions

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many parliamentary questions tabled in the last 12 months for answer by her on a named day (a) were transferred and (b) received a substantive answer (i) on the day named and (ii) after the day named.

David Lammy: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport aims to ensure that hon. Members receive a substantive response to their named day questions on the named day. However, as my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House said at business questions on 2 February 2006, Official Report, column 475, it is also important that Departments have the opportunity to produce accurate and detailed responses to such questions. From time to time, that necessitates the issuing of a holding answer. DCMS does make every effort to meet the deadline requested.
	314 parliamentary questions were tabled to DCMS for answer on a named day during the last 12 months—1 February 2005 to 31 January 2006. 184 (58.6 per cent.) received a substantive answer on the day named with 130 (41.4 per cent.) receiving an answer after the day named.
	Information on questions transferred to other Government Departments could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Parliamentary Questions

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many ordinary written parliamentary questions tabled for answer by her in the last 12 months have been answered (a) within 14 days, (b) between 14 and 28 days, (c) between 28 days and two months and (d) in excess of two months after the date of tabling; and if she will make a statement.

David Lammy: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport aims to answer Ordinary Written questions within a working week of being tabled. Unfortunately, this is not always possible but DCMS does make every effort to achieve these timescales.
	The following table provides details of the response times for those Ordinary Written parliamentary questions received and answered by the department in the last 12 months.
	
		
			  Number Percentage 
		
		
			 Answered within 14 days 1,177 84.0 
			 Between 14 and 28 days 142 10.1 
			 Between 28 days and 2 months 27 1.9 
			 In excess of 2 months after the date of tabling 56 (7)4.0 
		
	
	(7) 54 of the 56 questions were tabled just prior to the summer recess. These questions were formally answered and printed in the Official Report when the House returned in October. Answers to the majority of these questions were issued to hon. Members during the recess period. The parliamentary questions database however only records the date that a question is formally answered.
	Source:
	Information derived from the DCMS parliamentary questions database.

Public Relations

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent on her Department's public relations and information services in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

David Lammy: The Department's public relations spend in the last five years only occurred in 2004–05 and 2005–06 and both relate to the digital campaign. They are:
	
		
			  Spend (£) 
		
		
			 2004–05 100,000 
			 2005–06 250,000 
		
	
	With regard to the spend on information services (web services and phone lines set up as part of advertising campaigns) no costs were involved in the development of either the digital campaign or the BBC Charter Review websites as they were built internally. Neither campaigns had an associated phone line.
	The only spend on a phone line associated with a campaign was for licensing in 2005–06 at a cost of £40,000. The licensing campaign did not have a specific website and all related information is currently available on the DCMS website.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Bolivia

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance the UK has provided to Bolivia following the recent flooding; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: Initial assessment findings from joint missions involving the Government of Bolivia, United Nations agencies, the Red Cross and non-governmental organisations report that 12,000 families have been affected by the recent floods in Bolivia, brought on by heavy rainfall over the last few weeks. Heavy rains are expected to continue in parts of the country before slowing down towards the end of this week. A total of 2,3000 families are reported to be displaced and in temporary shelters across the affected areas (largely in the departments of Santa Cruz and Beni). 2,400 houses have been damaged or destroyed. The immediate relief needs identified are food (for up to 7,000 families), water (for 4,645 families, temporary shelter, mosquito nets and mattresses (for approximately 3,500 families).
	The United States Agency for International Development has already provided $300,000 of relief assistance including sufficient plastic sheeting for 1,000 tents, seven water bladders of 10–12,000 litres capacity and 3,000 wool blankets. It has also provided 100 tons of food and is considering additional funding. The United Nations office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs has allocated an emergency grant of $30,000 for the purchase of relief items. The European Commission's humanitarian office is also considering a response.
	The early response of traditional donors in the region indicates that the immediate emergency needs of affected people appear to have been or will soon be met. However, DFID is continuing to monitor the evolving situation in Bolivia closely.

Public Relations

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was spent on the Department's public relations and information services in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Gareth Thomas: DFID expenditure on public relations is through the Press Office in the following table are the figures available:
	
		
			 Financial year Amount £ 
		
		
			 2001–02 (8)148, 000 
			 2002–03 (8)191,000 
			 2003–04 404,000 
			 2004–05 682,000 
			 2005–06(9) 600,500 
		
	
	(8) staff costs only
	(9) to 7 February 2006
	DFID's information services are through the DFID website and the public inquiry point.
	The public inquiry point is an integral part of the larger building support for development team, and as such, the costs have never been held separately and would incur disproportionate costs to disaggregate them.
	
		Website costs
		
			 Financial year Amount £ 
		
		
			 2001–02 122,504 
			 2002–03 64,677 
			 2003–04 147,958 
			 2004–05 (10)130,370 
			 2005–06(11) 121,983 
		
	
	(10) estimated
	(11) to date
	Please note that the figure for financial year 2004–05 is an estimate because of structural re-organisation within DFID, which has made costs difficult to disaggregate.

Economic Partnership Agreements

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the UK position is on (a) investment, (b) public procurement and (c) competition policy within the economic partnership agreements between the EU and African, Caribbean and Pacific countries; and if he will make a statement on the progress made in negotiations of these issues during the UK presidency of the EU.

Gareth Thomas: The UK position on investment, public procurement and competition policy in the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), as published in March 2005, is that these issues should be removed from the negotiations, unless specifically requested by any of the regional groups in the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP). It is for the ACP regional groups to judge the development benefits of any agreements on these issues and the EU should not push for them to be discussed. In addition, we believe that if included, any negotiations on Government procurement should be limited to transparency.
	During the time of the UK presidency in 2005, the European Commission and the ACP did not negotiate on these issues. Some regions have requested to negotiate some of these issues. For example, the Pacific has requested to negotiate investment, while the Caribbean has requested to negotiate all three of the issues. However, while on their jointly agreed agendas, the negotiations on these issues are only just beginning.

EU Trust Fund (Africa)

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on progress towards the establishment of an EU trust fund for Africa.

Hilary Benn: We expect the European Investment Bank and the European Commission to shortly sign a Memorandum of Understanding establishing a Trust Fund to finance infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa.
	The Trust Fund is in support of the EU-Africa Infrastructure Partnership, which is part of the wider EU Africa Strategy, approved in December 2005. It will support water, energy, transport and telecommunications infrastructure, with a focus on cross border projects.
	The Commission and the European Investment Bank will begin to discuss member state participation in the Trust Fund with member states.
	Increased investment in infrastructure is needed to boost growth in Africa and help meet the Millennium Development Goals. The UK is therefore supportive of the EU-Africa Infrastructure Partnership, which is complementary to the new Infrastructure Consortium for Africa.

Food Shortages

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made on the scale of food shortages in Chechnya and Ingushetia; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: DFID relies on the UN organisations working in Chechnya and Ingushetia to provide information on the humanitarian situation in both republics. We are informed by the World Food Programme (WFP) that thousands of vulnerable people are currently suffering from the extreme weather experienced in Russia and are in urgent need of food. WFP have therefore appealed for funds to resume food rations to the region.
	In response to the WFP appeal, DFID will provide £200,000 through the WFP to support continued food distribution in the short-term and will maintain close contacts with the UN and the WFP to re-assess the situation over the coming months. At the same time, DFID will continue to push for better targeting of food for particularly vulnerable groups and continue efforts to move to more sustainable and recovery focused assistance to reduce dependency on food distributions.

Freedom of Information Act

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what total sum has been received by his Department for the provision of information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in its first year of operation.

Gareth Thomas: In 2005, DFID received no payments for requests which fell above the appropriate limit and received no payments for disbursements.
	The Freedom of Information Act allows for public authorities to determine when the cost of processing a request will exceed the appropriate limit, which for central Government is set at £600 and for the wider public sector £450. In this instance the public authority may decide to either approach the applicant to help them refine their request and where possible to bring it under the appropriate limit. Alternatively, public authorities may charge the applicant the cost of processing the request. There is, however, no obligation for departments to provide information if the cost of processing the request exceeds the appropriate limit.
	Public authorities may also charge for disbursements when handling requests where it is deemed appropriate. Further information on the Freedom of Information (FOI) fees regime can be found on the DCA website at http://www.foi.gov.uk/feesguide.htm.

Global Fund

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the withdrawal of the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria from Myanmar.

Gareth Thomas: Burma is facing a generalised HIV and AIDS epidemic and has high Malaria and TB infection and mortality rates. On 18 August 2005, the Global Fund terminated its US$98 million grant to Burma, citing the Burmese authorities' tightening of restrictions on UN and international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) (particularly on travel). Some but not all of these restrictions have subsequently been relaxed.
	Although a phase-out plan has been adopted to mitigate the cancellation of the grants, the termination was a significant setback to work to combat the three diseases. DFID has provided technical assistance to the UN resident co-ordinator to help learn from the experience and consider alternative funding arrangements. Working with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), DFID has stressed to the authorities, the need to ensure access for the UN and INGO's. DFID and other donors are designing a replacement programme to respond to the three diseases. During design, we are consulting with a wide range of stakeholders and will ensure a focus on transparency, accountability, equity and effective monitoring.

Global Fund

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what mechanisms are in place to ensure that money pledged to the global fund to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria is spent where it is intended.

Gareth Thomas: The Global Fund has a number of fiduciary mechanisms in place to ensure that grant proceeds are used for their intended purpose. The country co-ordinating mechanism, a country-level partnership which includes representatives from both the public and private sectors, is responsible for submitting the initial grant proposal for approval and nominating the principal recipient(s). It also oversees and monitors the progress of the grant during implementation. The global fund and the principal recipient(s) for each grant negotiate a grant agreement which sets out specific, measurable results that will be tracked using a set of key indicators to assess performance against the agree objectives. Principal recipients are legally responsible for local implementation of the grant, including oversight of sub-recipients of grant funds.
	The global fund does not have a country presence outside its offices in Geneva. It relies on independent financial advice from local fund agents which are local auditors. In the initial stage, the local fund agent assesses the financial and administrative capacity of the principal recipient. Over the life of the grant, the local fund agent will verify periodic disbursements based on demonstrated progress towards intended results. This performance-based system of grant-making is key to the glob fund's commitment to results. To ensure transparency and reduce fiduciary risks, the global fund compiles key information including results and financial accountability for each grant into a grant performance report which is posted in the global fund's website: www.theglobalfund.org.

Global Fund

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on distributing the US$ 241 allocated by the global fund to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria to schemes to fight HIV/AIDS in India.

Gareth Thomas: The Global Fund is supporting eight grants in India that are currently in their first two years of implementation (Phase 1) and the total approved for this phase is US$ 107.3 million. The progress of disbursements against these grants has been variable. Where disbursements have been slow, this has been due to several factors including institutional issues and procurement delays. The table provides a summary of the position on current disbursements and also takes account of additional disbursements expected in February and March (where these are known):
	
		
			   Approved Proposals 
			 Country Rnd Disease Approved grant amount (USD) Total lifetime budgets (USD) 
		
		
			 India 1 TB 8,655,033 8,655,033 
			  2 HIV/AIDS 26,116,000 100,081,000 
			  2 TB 7,080,000 29,110,000 
			  3 HIVATB 2,667,346 14,819,773 
			  4 HIV/AIDS 25,831,024 140,878,119 
			  
			  4 Malaria 30,158,833 69,044,954 
			  4 TB 6,819,000 26,545,000 
			 Total   107,327,236 389,133,879 
		
	
	
		
			   Grant Details 
			 Country Rnd Grant number Program start date Total 
		
		
			 India 1 IDA-1 02-G01-T-00 1 April 2003 8,655,033 
			  2 IDA-202-G02-H-00 1 May 2004 26,116,000 
			  2 IDA-202- G03-T-00 1 April 2004 7,080,000 
			  3 IDA-304-G-4-C 1 November 2004 2,667,346 
			  4 IDA-405-G0-H 1 April 2005 4,158,465 
			   IDA-405-G06-H 1August 2005 21,672,559 
			  4 IDA-405- G07-M 1 July 2005 30,158,833 
			  4 IDA-405-G08-T 1 April 2005 6,819,000 
			 Total107,327,236 
		
	
	
		
			   Disbursements 
			 Country Rnd Total at end January 2006 Expected in February /March 2006 Percentage disbursed of total grant 
		
		
			 India 1 6,088,840 1,600,000 89 
			  2 8,301,000 5,000,000 43.4 
			  2 3,731,000 1,986,000 81 
			  3 165,428 0 6.2 
			  4 1,857,846 0 44.7 
			   2,972,000 8,500,000 52.9 
			  4 856,717 12,000,000 42.6 
			  4 397,000 0 5.8 
			 Total  24,369,831 29,086,000  
		
	
	The India Country Co-ordinating Mechanism responsible for overseeing implementation of the grants meets regularly to review their status and consider appropriate action. The Global Fund is also working with the Country Co-ordinating Mechanism to help speed up the disbursement process. In line with the Global Fund's performance-based funding approach, subsequent funding of these grants in Phase 2 (covering the next three years) will be subject to an assessment of their performance before additional funds totalling US$ 202.7 million can approved.

Haiti

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much (a) bilateral and (b) multilateral aid the UK has given to Haiti in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: Our bilateral assistance between 2000 and 2005 was largely in the form of small grants provided through partnerships with UK international non-governmental organisations and their local partners in Haiti. However, in 2004–05, of the total amount provided in bilateral aid to Haiti, £1,913,000 was in the form of humanitarian assistance following the outbreak of violence, floods and landslides, and the passage of hurricane Ivan. DFID continues to provide support to Haiti through our partnership programme agreements with British non-governmental organisations (NGO)s working in Haiti, such as Oxfam and the Catholic Institute for International Relations (CIIR).
	The following tables detail the bilateral and multilateral aid provided by the UK to Haiti over the last five year period.
	
		
			  UK bilateral (£000) 
		
		
			 2000–01 61 
			 2001–02 130 
			 2002–03 125 
			 2003–04 130 
			 2004–05 2027 
		
	
	The figures provided for multilateral aid reflect the UK's share of contributions to the European Commission, United Nations, World Bank, and others. For example, the UK's recent pledge to the soft loan window of the Caribbean Development Bank, includes close to £3 million for Haiti from 2005–08.
	
		
			  Multilateral(£ million) 
		
		
			 1999 3.2 
			 2000 2.1 
			 2001 2.6 
			 2002 1.6 
			 2003 1.0 
		
	
	Source:
	Statistics on International Development 2005 and DFID Imputed UK multilateral shares.

Kashmir Earthquake

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions his Department has had with UK commercial airlines on the carriage of aid collected in the UK to Pakistan as part of the relief effort following the earthquake in Kashmir in October 2005.

Gareth Thomas: DFID uses an air brokering service for its relief flights arranged through commercial carriers. DFID contracted 15 flights to deliver relief items and 78 flights on behalf of the agencies of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC). DFID encouraged the DEC agencies to offer available space on the aircraft to non-DEC agencies where appropriate. DFID was also made aware of a number of organisations being offered free space on commercial airlines outside of this arrangement, for instance one of the DFID supported UK rescue teams received a free outward flight from British Airways.

Poverty Reduction

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the impact of remittances sent by migrants to their families in the developing world on reducing poverty; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: DFID has a range of initiatives to enhance the development impact of remittances for developing countries, and this includes an analysis of the effects of migrant remittances in reducing poverty.
	In general, evidence shows remittances reduce poverty in developing countries. For example:
	New findings from Guatemala show that remittances reduce the level, depth and severity of poverty. Households receiving internal and international remittances spend around 50 per cent. more, respectively, than households with no remittances.
	Recent World Bank research from the Philippines confirms that remittances reduce poverty for those that receive them;
	In Bangladesh, remittances from internal migration can represent the majority of household income. Households receiving remittances have higher nutritional and health status, higher levels of educational investment, and pools of money available for emergencies. There is clear evidence that without access to remittances, children's access to education would be severely limited. Remittance transfers can make up as much as 40 per cent. of the household budget for receiving poor families.
	At the level of the economy, research suggests that remittances provide valuable foreign exchange for developing countries, and strengthen the balance of payments. Unlike other financial flows, remittances are counter cyclical, thus alleviating macroeconomic shocks. Remittances can also provide investment capital for economic activity, contributing to economic growth. Where remittance flows are saved rather than spent, they help improve the savings ratios and provide a higher deposit base for the banking system, which is necessary for economic growth.
	DFID has a number of initiatives underway to reduce barriers to remittance flows and improve their developmental impact. In particular, DFID has initiated remittance country partnerships with Bangladesh, Nigeria and Ghana. These partnerships include work to extend access to remittances to poorer and more rural people, encourage greater competition and lower remittance prices, and improve data. DFID also works closely with economists in the World Bank that are researching in depth the impact of remittances on poverty reduction.
	In terms of work in the UK, DFID has recently set up a task force comprising of banks and money transfer companies, in order to lower remittance prices and improve the services they provide to low income migrants. The task force will implement recommendations from a public/private sector working group report that DFID launched late last year.
	DFID initiated a website (www.sendmoneyhome.org) for those wishing to send remittances to developing countries from the UK, which provides easily available comparative information on remittance prices and providers. The aim is to improve choice and stimulate competition, leading to lower prices and a better service for low income migrants. DFID funded a household survey in the UK among the Bangladeshi community which explores the impact on recipients of remittances to Bangladesh, and has recently commissioned a wider household survey to better quantify remittance flows from key ethnic minority communities within the UK.

Sierra Leone/Ivory Coast

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much (a) financial and (b) food aid the United Kingdom has given to (i) Sierra Leone and (ii) the Ivory Coast since 1997.

Hilary Benn: DFID's total bilateral assistance to Sierra Leone has been 207 million since 1997. Of this, 14.4 million has been in the form of humanitarian assistance, comprising food aid and other humanitarian assistance. The remaining 192.5 million has been in the form of programme aid, direct budget support, technical assistance and other in-kind expenditure. In addition to this, the UK's imputed share of financial assistance to Sierra Leone through the EC is 14.4 million since 1997 (see Table 1 for details of assistance by year and type of assistance).
	
		Table 1: UK Aid to Sierra Leone 19972005
		
			  million 
			 Fiscal year Total Bilateral Assistance Humanitarian Assistance Other Bilateral Assistance Imputed Aid through EC(12) 
		
		
			 199798 3.3  3.3 2.0 
			 199899 9.1  9.1 1.4 
			 19992000 29.8  29.8 0.6 
			 200001 34.1 3.2 30.9 2.0 
			 200102 36.7 5.2 31.5 4.7 
			 200203 32.2 3.7 28.5 1.8 
			 200304 34.3 1.5 32.8 1.8 
			 200405 27.4 0.8 26.6  
			 Total 19972005 207.0 14.4 192.5 14.4 
		
	
	(12) Data for EC not available after 2003.
	Source:
	DFID SRSG Database
	Regarding Cote d'Ivoire, DFID's total bilateral expenditure since 1997 is 45.9 million. This includes 1.6 million in the form of humanitarian assistance, and 44.3 million in technical cooperation, debt relief and other aid in kind. As its imputed share of EC expenditure, the UK has also provided an additional 18.1 million to Cote d'Ivoire since 1997 (see Table 2 for details of assistance by year and type of aid).
	
		Table 2: UK Assistance to Cote d'Ivoire 19972005
		
			  million 
			 Fiscal year Bilateral Total Assistance Humanitarian Assistance Other Bilateral Assistance Imputed Aid through EC(13) 
		
		
			 199798 2.3 0.1 2.2 4.0 
			 199899 13.6 0.0 13.6 3.8 
			 19992000 12.1  12.1 0.7 
			 200001 3.6  3.6 0.4 
			 200102 1.0 0.3 0.8 8.5 
			 200203 8.8 0.7 8.1 0.4 
			 200304 1.0 0.2 0.8 0.4 
			 200405 3.4 0.3 3.1  
			 Total 19972005 45.9 1.6 44.3 18.1 
		
	
	(13) Data for EC not available after 2003.
	Source:
	DFID SRSG Database.

TREASURY

Better Regulation Action Plan

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the Financial Services Authority's Better Regulation Action Plan.

Ivan Lewis: The Financial Service Authority's (FSA's) Better Regulation Action Plan, which sets out how the FSA is planning to continue improving the regulation of financial services, was published on 2 December. The Government welcome the FSA's Better Regulation Action Plan. On 1 February 2006 the FSA published its Business Plan for 200607, which includes further information on how it will deliver its better regulation initiatives. The Business Plan also commits the FSA to publish an update to its Better Regulation Action Plan in November 2006.

Condoms

Paul Burstow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will reduce the current level of VAT on condoms to five per cent.

Dawn Primarolo: All taxes are kept under constant review and the Government are fully aware of the importance that has been attached to this issue by hon. Members and policy stakeholders.

Domestic Property Surveys

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether VAT is levied on a surveyor's report produced on a domestic property.

Dawn Primarolo: The supply of a surveyor's report on a domestic property is VAT standard-rated.

Employment Statistics

Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) private sector jobs in (i) agriculture, (ii) manufacturing and (iii) the service sector and (b) public sector jobs there were in (A) Ribble Valley and (B) Lancashire in each of the last 10 years.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell dated 9 February 2006
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary question about private and public sector employment. (49795)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics for the United Kingdom of public sector employment from a quarterly survey of public sector organisations. However, estimates at local area level are not available.
	Information at local area level is only available from the annual local area Labour Force Survey (LFS)/Annual Population Survey (APS) of individual people in households. However, in this source, the categorisation of employment in the public or private sector depends upon the responses from the individuals interviewed. As reported by ONS in October 2005 in the publication Public Sector Employment Trends, some individuals tend to misreport private sector employment as being in the public sector hence leading to overestimates of the share of public sector employment.
	With this reservation about the data quality, table 1 shows the number of persons in private sector and public sector employment for people resident in the Kibble Valley parliamentary constituency, as shown by the annual local area LFS for the 12 month periods ending February 1999 to February 2004, and from the APS for the 12 months ending December 2004. Table 2 shows data for people resident in Lancashire. Estimates are not available for earlier years.
	These estimates, as with any from sample surveys, are subject to a margin of uncertainty. Changes in the estimates from year to year should be treated with particular caution.
	
		Table 1: Persons in employment resident in the Ribble Valley parliamentary constituency by private-public sector split(14)
		
			 thousand 
			  Private Sector 
			 12 months ending Agriculture Manufacturing Services Other industries(15) Public Sector Total 
		
		
			 February 1999 * 12 20 4 11 47 
			 February 2000 1 13 20 4 12 49 
			 February 2001 1 11 18 5 15 50 
			 February 2002 1 8 24 5 14 51 
			 February 2003 1 8 25 5 13 52 
			 February 2004 1 10 20 5 12 47 
			 December 2004 1 7 19 6 13 46 
		
	
	(14) Public/private sector split based on responses from individuals responding to the annual local area Labour Force Survey and the Annual Population Survey. This generally results in overestimates of public sector employment.
	(15) Other industries are fishing, energy and water and construction.
	Note:
	Estimates are subject to sampling variability. Changes from year to year should be treated with particular caution.
	Source:
	Annual local area Labour Force Survey; Annual Population Survey
	
		Table 2: Persons in employment resident in Lancashire by private-public sector split(16)
		
			 thousand 
			  Private Sector 
			 12 months ending Agriculture Manufacturing Services Other industries(17) Public Sector Total 
		
		
			 February 1999 7 117 220 39 120 506 
			 February 2000 8 114 229 38 124 517 
			 February 2001 8 119 225 32 133 518 
			 February 2002 7 112 227 30 138 516 
			 February 2003 6 107 233 44 133 528 
			 February 2004 6 100 255 42 138 544 
			 December 2004 7 91 242 45 137 526 
		
	
	(16) Public/private sector split based on responses from individuals responding to the annual local area Labour Force Survey and the Annual Population Survey. This generally results in overestimates of public sector employment.
	(17) Other industries are Fishing, Energy and Water and Construction.
	Note:
	Estimates are subject to sampling variability. Changes from year to year should be treated with particular caution.
	Source:
	Annual local area Labour Force Survey; Annual Population Survey.

Financial Services Authority

Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many letters he has received from members of the public regarding the Financial Services Authority in each year since its creation.

Ivan Lewis: HM Treasury does not record this information. It could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

HM Revenue and Customs Estate

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his oral answer of 26 January 2006, Official Report, column 1505, on HM Revenue and Customs Estate, what clawback clauses were included in the contract awarded to Mapeley in 2001 regarding properties included in his Department's estate.

Dawn Primarolo: The STEPS contract provides HMRC with rights to leave properties during the 20-year life of the deal. On leaving a property HMRC is entitled to share in certain gains in the value of the property. These are described as development gains.
	The development gain is calculated by reference to the price obtained by Mapeley unless there is no disposal within two years at which point the gain is calculated by reference to the market value of the property.

Income Tax

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what additional rate of standard income tax would have been required to raise revenue of (a) 17.4 billion in 200405 and (b) 16.4 billion in 200304.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 8 February 2006
	A basic rate of 27 per cent. on earned income in both 200304 and 200405 would have raised an additional 16.2 billion and 17.0 billion respectively in each year.
	These estimates assume the basic rate on savings and dividends remain unchanged at 20 per cent. and 10 per cent. respectively.
	The 200304 estimates are based upon the 200304 Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI), and the 200405 estimates are based upon the 200304 SPI projected forward in line with December 2005 pre-Budget HM Treasury assumptions.
	The figures exclude any estimate of behavioural response to the tax change, which could be significant given the scale of the changes.

Insurance Premium Tax

Gregory Barker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received from organisations representing leaseholders with concerns about alleged fraud regarding the insurance premium tax.

Ivan Lewis: Some allegations of underpayment of insurance premium tax have been received from one organisation and these have been investigated by HM Revenue and Customs.

Ministerial Visits

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the (a) dates and (b) locations of his nationwide tour undertaken to date; and when he expects the tour to be completed.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will visit Shrewsbury to discuss his main economic priorities with the Shropshire Chamber of Commerce and Shrewsbury Business Chamber.

Gordon Brown: As part of my official duties I have made a number of visits to the regions and nations of the United Kingdom and will be continuing to do so over the coming months.

Ports (Security)

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many whole-time equivalent staff of HM Revenue and Customs and its predecessors were employed in the investigation and surveillance of (a) ports and (b) airports in each year since 19992000;
	(2)  if he will list (a) ports and (b) airports which had a permanent HM Revenue and Customs presence in each year since 19992000.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer to the answer given on 8 June 2004, Official Report, column 370 by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury to the hon. Member for South-East Cambridgeshire (Mr. Paice).

Prescriptions (VAT)

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what criteria were used in deciding that (a) NHS hospital pharmacies would pay VAT on prescriptions and (b) other pharmaceutical outlets would not.

Dawn Primarolo: VAT is chargeable on all drugs, medicines and other pharmaceutical items that pharmacists purchase to dispense to patients. Neither a hospital nor a community pharmacy charges VAT on drugs and medicines dispensed by a pharmacist on the basis of a prescription issued by a medical practitioner.
	While different VAT reclaim rules apply for the different types of pharmacies, these reflect how successive Governments have funded NHS VAT costs, and the fundamental difference for VAT purposes between NHS hospital pharmacies, which dispense prescribed drugs as a non-business activity, and community pharmacies, which make a 'business' supply when they dispense drugs.

Real Estate Investment Trusts

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the merits of establishing a regulatory framework for unlisted real estate investment trusts.

Ivan Lewis: I refer the hon. Lady to the answer she received from my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury on 26 January 2006, Official Report, columns 22652266W.

Revenue Help Lines

Harry Cohen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the adequacy of Inland Revenue help lines (a) 01274 532007 and (b) 01274 539628 at busy times of the year for people with queries about paying their tax; whether he plans to improve the service; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs is continually looking to improve services to customers especially around peak periods. Last year the department put considerable time and effort into trying to encourage people to file, and where necessary seek help, before the peak time at end of January and not leave things until the very last moment.
	In anticipation of the Self Assessment filing peak in the last few days of January a substantial number of additional staff were made available on the telephone numbers quoted. In addition a telephone service was provided over the weekend prior to the filing date and up until 8.00 pm on 30 and 31 January. This was supported further by improvements to facilities for processing payment over the telephone.

Tax Credits

Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families were sent (a) one, (b) two, (c) three, (d) four to seven and (e) eight or more different entitlement notices for a single application for tax credits in each year since the tax credit system was introduced.

Dawn Primarolo: This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Tax Credits

Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) longest and (b) average time taken was for information relating to an application for tax credit to be updated on his Department's computer system in (i) 200304 and (ii) 200405; and how many open cases on the system have waited more than four months to be updated.

Dawn Primarolo: This information is not available.
	HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has service delivery agreement targets for deciding tax credit claims within five working days and 30 working days. The Department's annual report reported its progress against those targets. It reported that, for 200405, 95.9 percent of all new claims, renewals and changes of circumstances were decided within 30 working days of receipt.

Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when his Department expects to publish full results for the level of compliance in tax credits for 200304; and what research has been undertaken on compliance risk monitoring.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 6 February 2006
	HMRC is carrying out a random inquiry programme of a representative sample of finalised claims across the tax credit population to measure the level of fraud and claimant error in tax credits. Final results for the 200304 exercise will be published in spring 2006.
	HMRC constantly monitors claim activity and acts to intercept potentially fraudulent claims before payments are made and adapts its methods in the light of evidence on attempted fraud. HMRC continuously reviews and updates their processes to ensure they provide a robust defence against the risk of organised fraud.

Tax Credits

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the total value has been of compensation payments made as a result of (a) delays and (b) mistakes in calculating tax credit awards;
	(2)  how many people have received compensation payments as a result of (a) delays and (b) mistakes in the calculation of tax credit awards.

Dawn Primarolo: The circumstances in which the former Inland Revenue and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will make compensation payments to its customers are explained in the Department's code of practice 1 Putting things right which is available at www.hmrc.gov.uk/leaflets/cop1.pdf
	The Department will pay compensation for reasonable costs incurred as a direct result of their mistakes or delays and to recognise worry and distress caused by those mistakes and delays.
	The Department will make a compensation payment if they believe it is justified even if the customer has not asked for compensation.
	For the value and number of compensation payments made in relation to tax credits, by HMRC's Tax Credit Office and contact centres, to 30 September 2005, I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave the right hon. Member for Maidstone and The Weald (Miss Widdecombe) on 22 November 2005, Official Report, column 1913W and the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 15 November 2005, Official Report, column 1212W.

Tax Credits

Quentin Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the annual cost to public funds of withdrawing tax credit as beneficiaries' income rises to the marginal income tax rate applicable.

Dawn Primarolo: No such assessment has been made.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Valuation Office Agency has paid in (a) recruitment costs and (b) redundancy payments as a consequence of the postponement of the council tax revaluation in England.

Dawn Primarolo: Nothing.

Valuation Office Agency

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Valuation Office Agency (a) has and (b) will have access to the local authority lettings continuous recording (LACORE) database.

Dawn Primarolo: The Valuation Office Agency has no current plans to seek access to LACORE data.

Vandalism

David Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the acts of vandalism which have been perpetrated (a) inside and (b) on the outside of his Department's buildings in the last 12 months.

John Healey: There have been none.

Vehicle Excise Duty

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many vehicle excise duty payments were made in each of the last six weeks for which figures are available in each local authority area in North Wales.

Stephen Ladyman: I have been asked to reply.
	Figures according to local authority area are not available by Local authority. Information could be provided for the North Wales area, but only at disproportionate cost. Work is underway to gauge the level of vehicle re-licensing in the North Wales police force area during the period of their recent operation to tackle untaxed and uninsured vehicles.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what criteria he uses to judge the success of (a) the peacekeeping mission and (b) the counter-narcotics operation in Afghanistan.

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the key aims are of the deployment of troops in Afghanistan.

John Reid: Our aims in Afghanistan are: democratic government that can maintain the rule of law and deliver basic services; a sustainable security environment where the population is free from coercion; a viable legitimate market economy that is increasingly able to support basic social needs and reduce poverty; and a sustainable decrease in poppy cultivation and drug trafficking. The extent to which Afghanistan's own Ministries can meet these objectives themselves forms the basis of our criteria for success.

Afghanistan

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he expects the recent deployment of British troops to Afghanistan to result in reduced opium production in that country.

John Reid: holding answer 6 February 2006
	Counter-narcotics (CN) operations are the responsibility of the Government of Afghanistan. UK forces deployed under the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) can provide training and operational support to Afghan counter-narcotics forces, and they contribute to the broader counter-narcotics effort by providing the secure environment in which the rule of law can be applied, reconstruction can take place and legal rural livelihoods can be developed.
	While there remains a risk that opium cultivation may increase again this year, our goal is to ensure that the downward trend in cultivation seen in 200405 is maintained in the long term. We are working with the Government of Afghanistan and other international partners to ensure delivery of this goal.

Afghanistan

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what funds his Department has provided to support training of the Afghan army and police force in each year since 2002; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what preparations have been made by his Department to build Afghan national army and police capacity with a view to transferring responsibility for security in Afghanistan to the indigenous forces; and if he will make a statement.

John Reid: The US is the G8 lead nation for developing the Afghan national army (ANA), and 27,000 Afghan soldiers have been trained under their auspices. Over 60,000 policemen have been trained by the German-led police reform programme.
	The UK has assisted training by providing resources and assisting ANA capacity building within the US-led effort, including NCO training for the ANA and, from April 2006, junior officer training for the ANA. The UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) has also provided two civilian advisers to work with the Afghan MOD to help build its capacity, and there are Afghan cadets at Sandhurst.
	The UK Ministry of Defence does not contribute funds specifically to ANP training, although financial support has been provided by the global conflict prevention pool, which is jointly funded and administered by MOD, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development. This breaks down as follows:
	
		
			million 
			  ANA ANP 
		
		
			 200203: 5 90,000 
			 200304: 1.25 2.5 
			 200405: 3.5 1.5 
		
	
	In addition, the UK has provided senior police advisers based at UK-led provincial reconstruction team and UK forces deployed under the NATO-led international security assistance force (ISAF) help provide the secure environment in which police reform can take place. The UK's provincial reconstruction team in Helmand will include police reform experts, and UK troops will work closely with the ANA as they take on an increasing responsibility for security in the Province.
	The ISAF has a key role to play in facilitating the development of both the ANA and ANP, enabling them to operate with greater and more co-ordinated effect, thereby bringing security and stability to the entire country.

Afghanistan

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many NATO-trained and deployed Afghan combat troops there are; and if he will make a statement.

John Reid: So far 27,000 Afghan troops have been trained by the US-led programme for the development of the Afghan national army (ANA). This programme is supported by the UK and other nations. The UK is providing NCO training and from April the UK will also support junior officer training in Kabul. The NATO-led international security assistance force (ISAF) is not part of this programme. However, British forces as part of the ISAF will assist with the training and mentoring of Afghan army units in Helmand Province. The Afghan Minister for Defence recently estimated there were now 34,000 soldiers, NCOs and officers in the ANA.

Chemical Defence Establishment

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which research programme at the Chemical Defence Establishment at Porton Down is designed to contribute to the understanding of Parkinson's disease.

Don Touhig: The remit of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Dstl, at Porton Down is to provide the UK and its armed forces with safe and effective countermeasures against chemical and biological warfare agents. Thus, Dstl is not currently involved in research into Parkinson's disease, nor has any previous work been undertaken in this area.
	However, the research that Dstl undertakes in the marmoset model for other applications could potentially have some relevance for research groups working on Parkinson's disease. The results of the research undertaken by Dstl are, wherever possible, submitted for publication in the open peer reviewed scientific literature and presented at open scientific conferences.

Commemorative Badges

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many 194555 commemorative badges have been issued in (a) each local authority area and (b) each constituency.

Don Touhig: This information is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Cruise Missiles

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Tomahawk cruise missiles have been (a) purchased for and (b) launched by the Royal Navy in each year since 1997; and how many Block IV Tomahawk cruise missiles are due to be purchased.

John Reid: The total number of Tomahawk Cruise Missiles purchased for the Royal Navy in each year since 1997 is shown in the table as follows:
	
		
			  Total number of missiles purchased 
		
		
			 1997 48 
			 1998 17 
			 1999 0 
			 2000 0 
			 2001 20 
			 2002 0 
			 2003 22 
		
	
	In addition, 64 Block IV Tomahawk cruise missiles are currently on order.
	I am withholding the information on Tomahawk launches as this could enable deductions to be made on current stockpiles, which could be prejudicial to national security.

Defence Medical Service

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) required and (b) current strength levels of (i) trained anaesthetists, (ii) trained general surgeons, (iii) burns specialists and (iv) general medical practitioners in the Defence Medical Service was (A) on the last date for which figures are available and (B) in 1997.

Don Touhig: The following table shows the required and actual strength levels in the Defence Medical Services of the above four specialties as at January 2006 and April 2000:
	
		
			  January 2006 April 2000 
			 Specialty Required Actual Required Actual 
		
		
			 Anaesthetists 76 44 120 30 
			 General Surgeons 36 21 44 19 
			 Burns Consultants 6 5 10 2 
			 General Medical Practitioners 270 260 440 210 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures above 100 have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	DMSD
	Records prior to April 2000 have been archived and could not be obtained within a reasonable time scale, and may have been destroyed. I will write to the hon. Member to either provide the 1997 figures, or confirm their earlier destruction and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Defence Medical Service

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many residents of (a) each county and (b) each constituency in North Wales have received a veteran's badge.

Don Touhig: holding answer 2 February 2006
	This information is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. 523 residents from North Wales have received veterans badges since April 2005, but prior to this date records were not kept geographically.

Disability (Armed Forces)

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps the Government are taking to support (a) former and (b) current members of the armed forces who are disabled; and if he will make a statement.

Don Touhig: The policies and procedures of the armed forces aim to avoid unnecessary threats to health; to provide the treatment and rehabilitation to ensure personnel can return, where possible, to normal service duties; or, where medical retirement becomes necessary, to provide proper resettlement and after-care services.
	Personnel who become disabled but who are still able to contribute usefully to operational capacity, may be retained. Those who have to be medically retired are provided with advice on pay, allowances and pension compensation entitlements, housing and financial matters before returning to civilian life, including, if appropriate, resettlement advice and information to assist them to prepare for, and find, suitable employment.
	The Veterans Agency provides a single point of contact within the MOD for veterans and their dependants seeking help and advice on a range of issues including health, housing, employment and financial matters. The War Pensioners' Welfare Service, a nationwide network administered by the Veterans Agency, provides help and advice on a wide range of welfare needs.

Early Retirement

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many departmental employees have taken early retirement due to ill health in each of the past five years for which figures are available.

Don Touhig: The following table gives details of the number of Ministry of Defence civilian employees that took early retirement due to ill health in each of the financial years 200001 to 200405.
	
		
			  Headcount 
		
		
			 200001 500 
			 200102 440 
			 200203 365 
			 200304 290 
			 200405 250 
		
	
	Note:
	This table used the revised definition of civilian personnel (www.dasa.mod.uk), but excludes Royal Fleet Auxiliary and Locally Engaged Civilian staff for whom no information on civilian ill health retirements is available.

Gulf War

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many individuals from the British armed forces served in the first Gulf war; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: During the period of the first Gulf conflict, between 1 September 1990 and 30 June 1991, 53,462 UK armed forces personnel were deployed to the Gulf region.

Gulf War

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans the Government have to conduct research into Gulf war syndrome; and if he will make a statement.

Don Touhig: It has been a key principle of this Government's approach to the health concerns of veterans of the 199091 Gulf conflict that there should be appropriate research into veterans' illnesses and into the factors that may have a bearing on them. Research already sponsored by the Ministry of Defence includes: epidemiological studies; clinical and laboratory tests; a programme of investigation into the possible adverse health effects of the medical countermeasures offered to troops; a systematic review of research literature; and a study of the social aspects of the issue. Most of this work has been completed and published. We have also maintained close contact with the US authorities to ensure visibility and understanding of the extensive programme of research that they have commissioned. The research has shown no evidence of a unique illness associated with service in the Gulf, nor has it identified a specific cause of the illnesses in question.
	Independent advice on the direction of this research is provided by the Medical Research Council. The Ministry of Defence is currently considering with the council potential additional studies aimed at improving the long-term health of veterans with persistent symptoms and also of an enzyme involved in metabolising organophosphates. Announcements will be made in due course regarding the outcome of these considerations.

Gurkha Recruitment

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what effect developments in Nepal have had on Gurkha recruitment over the past 12 months.

Don Touhig: The Ministry of Defence's ability to recruit Gurkhas over the past 12 months has not been diminished. In the most recent recruitment exercise some 15,000 applicants for selection competed for 230 available places. We have however adjusted and streamlined our recruitment process in recent years, partly in response to the situation in Nepal.

Iraq

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of (a) soldiers in the Army and (b) soldiers serving in Iraq have been diagnosed with a mental health condition.

Don Touhig: Between January 2003 and September 2005 inclusive, 1,333 United Kingdom service personnel who had served in Iraq were subsequently assessed as suffering from a mental health disorder,. This represents less than 1.5 per cent. of total UK service personnel deployed to the region during the same period. Of those 1,333 personnel, 182 were assessed as suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
	Figures are not held centrally on a tri-service or single service basis on the total number of service personnel who are suffering from any mental health condition and this could therefore be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Military Explosive Manufacturing

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the warheads carried by the United Kingdom's Trident nuclear deterrent will continue to contain high-explosives manufactured exclusively in the UK.

John Reid: We have previously withheld and are continuing to withhold the information requested as it relates to national security.

Parkinson's Disease

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department last discussed possible links between Parkinson's disease and Gulf War illnesses with US counterparts.

Don Touhig: I am aware of research undertaken by Robert Haley at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre raising the possibility of a link between Gulf war illnesses and Parkinson's disease. Defence Ministers have not held any formal discussions with US counterparts about this research. Officials keep abreast of research published in the US through a British liaison officer who is based permanently in Washington DC. He is tasked with ensuring that the UK has full visibility of US research into Gulf health issues and with providing a channel for communicating our own work to interested US parties.

Parkinson's Disease

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what research projects related to possible links between Parkinson's disease and Gulf war illnesses are being undertaken by his Department;
	(2)  what funding his Department makes available towards research into possible links between Parkinson's disease and Gulf war illnesses in the US.

Don Touhig: It has been a key principle of this Government's approach to the health concerns of veterans of the 199091 Gulf conflict that there should be appropriate research into veterans' illnesses and into the factors that may have a bearing on them. Under the direction and guidance of the Medical Research Council, the Ministry of Defence has sponsored a broad programme of research. No research has been undertaken or sponsored by the United Kingdom Government into possible links between Parkinson's disease and the ill health reported by some Gulf veterans. However, we are aware of work undertaken in the United States suggesting the possibility of such a link and are following developments on this closely.

Parliamentary Questions

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many parliamentary questions tabled in the last 12 months for answer by him on a named day (a) were transferred and (b) received a substantive answer (i) on the day named and (ii) after the day named;
	(2)  how many ordinary written parliamentary questions tabled for answer by him in the last 12 months have been answered (a) within 14 days, (b) between 14 and 28 days, (c) between 28 days and two months and (d) in excess of two months after the date of tabling; and if he will make a statement.

Don Touhig: The information is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	During the period 1 February 2005 to 31 January 2006, the Ministry of Defence received 637 parliamentary questions for answer on a named day and 2,729 ordinary written parliamentary questions for answer.
	Defence Ministers aim to ensure that Members receive a substantive response to their named day question on the named day and to endeavour to answer ordinary written questions within a working week of being tabled.
	Unfortunately, this is not always possible but the Department makes every effort to achieve these timescales.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead (Mike Penning) on 2 November 2005, Official Report, columns 106768W, in which I advised of our plans to introduce a new toolkit to better track and handle all parliamentary questions and correspondence later in the year; which should enable us to better monitor and report on our performance.

Pingat Jasa Medal

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of soldiers, sailors and airmen serving in Malaysia between 31 August 1957 and 31 December 1966 would be eligible for the Pingat Jasa medal if approval for wearing it were given.

Don Touhig: No centrally collated figures are available to show the total number of individual service personnel who served in the Federation of Malaya and subsequently in the Federation of Malaysia between 31 August 1957 and 31 December 1966 and such figures could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Further, as the Malaysian Government have not yet released a definitive qualification criterion for the Pingat Jasa medal, it would not be possible to estimate the numbers who might be eligible even if the overall figures for those who served in the area were available.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Jeremy Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the average annual amount spent by the Government in a year on the treatment of servicemen and ex-servicemen suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and related conditions over the last five years.

Don Touhig: holding answer 7 February 2006
	Figures are not held centrally on the total number of Service personnel who are suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and related conditions. Information on the amount spent could only therefore be provided at disproportionate cost.
	Furthermore, we do not hold information on the treatment received by ex-Service personnel because the NHS has responsibility for the treatment of ex-Service personnel suffering from both mental and physical disorders.
	For those ex-Service personnel whose condition is due to service and for whom it is appropriate, courses of remedial care are funded at facilities provided by the charity, Combat Stress. For the year ending December 2005, funding was some 2.8 million.

Press Coverage

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions since 1 April 2003 he has complained to the Press Complaints Commission about the coverage in the press of (a) Ministers or officials and (b) his Department; and how many of these complaints were upheld.

John Reid: Since 1 April 2003 the Ministry of Defence has made four complaints to the Press Complaints Commission; all by the then Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Member for Ashfield (Mr. Hoon). Three were upheld and one was not pursued.

Public Relations

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent on his Department's public relations and information services in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Don Touhig: The Ministry of Defence engages in a range of public relations activities in order that the work of the MOD and armed forces is communicated to the general public. While the MOD, its Agencies and the Services employ full-time and part-time Communications staff, and who, on occasion, engage external PR consultancies to assist them, the Department does not centrally record overall expenditure on public relations. This information therefore could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
	Neither does the Department centrally record expenditure on information services, a broad term that could refer to a range of activities from press offices, to internal communications, to web services.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

1911 Census

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will authorise the early release to the Public Records Office of the 1911 census for England and Wales.

Bridget Prentice: The Government's policy is to make the decennial census returns publicly available after a period of 100 years, in order to honour assurances given about the confidentiality of personal information contained in census returns. The National Archives is, therefore, developing plans to release the 1911 census in 2012.

Freedom of Information Act

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether it is Government policy that civil servants routinely remove their names from documents before releasing them under the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and if she will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: Disclosing or withholding officials' names in freedom of information releases is dealt with on a case-by-case basis. The names of many officials are already made public in a variety of ways, such as in the civil service yearbook or as speakers at conferences, therefore it is unnecessary to redact names. However, there may be cases in which it is necessary to remove officials' names, for example for health and safety purposes or because releasing their name into the public domain could cause disruption to their day-to-day work.

Road Traffic Claims

Nick Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the effects of the introduction of predictable costs in road traffic claims where damages are under 10,000.

Bridget Prentice: Research on the operation of fixed recoverable costs for road traffic accident claims is underway, and it is expected that this will be completed in summer 2006.

Small Claims (Personal Injuries)

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 28 November 2005, Official Report, column 130W, on small claims (personal injuries), if she will list the organisations she plans to consult as part of the review of personal injuries limits for small claims.

Bridget Prentice: A list of consultees is not yet available. I will ensure that a copy is sent to the hon. Member when the consultation paper is published.

Unsafe Gravestones

Mark Todd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what progress has been made in discussions with (a) burial authorities and (b) other interested parties on the means of promoting best practice in dealing with unsafe gravestones.

Bridget Prentice: We expect to complete very shortly our assessment of existing guidance and then to discuss our findings with burial professionals and others. Subject to their views and any need to obtain any further technical advice, we aim to publish more comprehensive guidance later this year.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Education

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to improve education standards in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: We are committed to driving up performance in schools in Northern Ireland by taking forward a wide range of initiatives aimed at raising standards, tackling under achievement and targeting funding at those areas of greatest social need. These include:
	the recognition of social deprivation and education underachievement in the formula used to determine schools' budgets;
	the School Improvement Programme which is focussed on raising standards and encompasses interventions in under achieving schools and literacy and numeracy standards;
	the implementation of the new post-primary arrangements which will provide all pupils with access to a much wider range of courses, including vocational courses;
	the Key Stage 4 Flexibility Initiative, which allows schools to discontinue certain aspects of the statutory curriculum in favour of innovative work-related programmes;
	the introduction of a revised statutory curriculum which has a reduced statutory element to give schools the flexibility to tailor their teaching to the needs of the individual; and,
	the introduction, from 200607, of the Children and Young People's Package, the aim of which is to reduce underachievement and improve life chances of children and young people.
	This is underpinned by an ongoing programme of monitoring and evaluation, including not only inspection activity but also self evaluation by schools.

A-Level Results

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of pupils making A-level entries in Northern Ireland obtained passes at (a) grade A level and (b) grades A and B level in each of the last 20 years.

Angela Smith: The requested information is as follows:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			  Entries achieving pass at: 
			 Academic year Grade A Grades A-B 
		
		
			 1995/96 32 57 
			 1996/97 33 59 
			 1997/98 33 61 
			 1998/99 37 64 
			 1999/2000 39 67 
			 2000/01 41 68 
			 2001/02 44 72 
			 2002/03 43 72 
			 2003/04 44 73 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The latest available data relates to the 2003/04 academic year.
	2. The earliest available data relates to the 1995/96 academic year.

Child Poverty

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many children are living in poverty in Northern Ireland in each constituency; and what the equivalent figures were in each of the past five years.

Angela Smith: Information is not available for the period requested as the data source households below average income was introduced to Northern Ireland in 200203 whereas in GB the survey was introduced in 199495. Also to enable estimates for individual Northern Ireland constituencies as requested, it was necessary to combine data for years 200203 and 200304. The following table shows the numbers and percentages of children living in relative income poverty before housing costs and after housing costs across parliamentary constituencies in Northern Ireland for that period.
	
		Number and percentage of children in relative poverty by parliamentary constituency for 200203 and 200304 combined
		
			  Relative poverty 
			  Before housing costs After housing costs 
			 Parliamentary constituency Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 Belfast East 3,500 23 4,200 29 
			 Belfast North 5,300 29 5,200 28 
			 Belfast South 2,100 17 2,900 24 
			 Belfast West 5,900 24 6,900 28 
			 East Antrim 2,900 16 3,700 20 
			 East Londonderry 8,000 30 7,600 29 
			 Fermanagh and South Tyrone 7,100 22 9,500 30 
			 Foyle 9,200 32 9,200 32 
			 Lagan Valley 2,900 13 3,300 15 
			 Mid Ulster 5,600 34 7,300 44 
			 Newry and Armagh 4,500 20 5,600 25 
			 North Antrim 8,000 24 8,500 25 
			 North Down 2,800 13 4,200 20 
			 South Antrim 4,800 14 6,500 20 
			 South Down 5,600 17 7,000 22 
			 Strangford 2,400 12 2,600 13 
			 Upper Bann 8,000 21 7,900 21 
			 West Tyrone 6,600 30 8,500 38 
			 All 95,000 22 110,500 25 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest hundred and percentages to the nearest whole number, therefore individual numbers by parliamentary constituencies may not sum to Northern Ireland total.
	2. As with any sample survey the numbers and percentages quoted in the table above are subject to a degree of sampling error.
	3. A single year's data do not provide robust results at the level of parliamentary constituency. It was therefore necessary to combine two years data to allow robust analysis this level.
	4. The data were sourced from Households Below Average Income Northern Ireland (HBAI NI). The HBAI NI is based on information collected from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). The FRS was first run in NI in 200203. Therefore data is not available prior to 200203. The NBAI was first introduced in Great Britain in 199495.
	5. The HBAI is the main source of income poverty measures throughout the UK and is used to monitor the United Kingdom's child poverty targets.
	6. Relative income poverty is defined as having an income less than 60 per cent. of the contemporary median income.
	7. Income before housing costs (BHC) includes the following main components: usual net earnings from employment; profit or loss from self-employment (losses are treated as a negative income); all social security benefits (including housing benefit, social fund, maternity, funeral and community care grants but excluding social fund loans) and tax credits; income from occupational and private pensions; investment income; maintenance payments, if a person receives them directly; income from educational grants and scholarships (including, for students, top up loans and parental contributions); the cash value of certain forms of income in kind (free school meals, free welfare milk, free school milk and free TV licence for those aged 75 and over).
	8. Income is net of the following items: income tax payments; national insurance contributions; domestic rates (this includes water and sewerage charges for Northern Ireland); contributions to occupational pension schemes (including all additional voluntary contributions (AVCs) to occupational pension schemes, and any contributions to personal pensions); all maintenance and child support payments, which are deducted from the income of the person making the payment and parental contributions to students living away from home.
	9. Income after housing costs (AHC) is derived by deducting a measure of housing costs from BHC income measure. Housing costs include the following: rent (gross of housing benefit); water rates, mortgage interest payments (net of tax relief); structural insurance premiums (for owner occupiers); ground rent and service charges.
	Source:
	Households Below Average Income 200203 and 200304 Department for Social Development.

Children's Food Bill

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will take steps to introduce in Northern Ireland the measures contained in the Children's Food Bill.

Angela Smith: The Department of Education, along with the Education and Library Boards and other school authorities, are already in the process of introducing many of the measures contained in the proposed Children's Food Bill.
	New Nutritional Standards for school meals are presently being rolled-out to all schools in Northern Ireland. Around 500 schools are operating the standards at present and the remaining schools will be included as soon as possible. Additional funding has been provided to support the initiative which will address not only school meals but will also include other areas of food provision in schools such as tuck shops and vending machines. The Department will shortly be consulting on the timetable for introducing these changes.
	In addition, from the 200607 school year the Education and Training Inspectorate will be evaluating the nutritional quality of meals in schools. It will also be examining schools' general approaches to promoting healthy eating.
	Health education is a compulsory element of the curriculum for all pupils. It provides opportunities to learn about a healthy diet and to know and understand the contribution of food to growth, energy and health.

Civil Service

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps have been taken by the Civil Service to address the under-representation of Protestants in the general service grades of the Civil Service in 2005.

Angela Smith: In 2005 the Northern Ireland Civil Service included statements particularly welcoming applications from Protestants in the following recruitment competitions:
	Administrative officer
	Temporary administrative officer
	Administrative assistant
	Temporary administrative assistant
	The Northern Ireland Civil Service has been aware that Protestants have been under-represented in applications for certain general service grades since 2002 when it last carried out a review as required under Article 55 of the Fair Employment and Treatment (NI) Order 1998. Since that time job advertisements for administrative assistant and administrative officer have carried messages particularly welcoming applications from the Protestant community. Appointments continue to be made strictly on merit from those who apply.
	The Service's Article 55 review is currently in train and will examine the latest available figures. I expect to be in a position to provide this report to hon. Members in Northern Ireland later in the spring.
	In addition, the Service is currently developing a new outreach strategy which will set out actions to be taken to promote Civil Service careers among under-represented groups.

Cognitive Therapy

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans there are to increase the number of cognitive therapists in the Province.

Shaun Woodward: There are no central plans to increase the number of cognitive therapists. The recruitment of staff, including cognitive therapists, is a matter for individual health and social services trusts taking into account factors such as service needs and available resources.

Domiciliary Carers

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people are on waiting lists for domiciliary carers; and what the average waiting time was in each health, social services and public safety board area in the last period for which figures are available.

Shaun Woodward: Information on the number of people on waiting lists for domiciliary carers, and average waiting times is not collected centrally. However, information is collected centrally on numbers of adults waiting in the community for domiciliary care packages. The number of adults waiting in the community for domiciliary care packages at 30 September 2005 (the latest date for which information is available) was 767.
	Information on waiting times is collected by time band and therefore average waiting times cannot be calculated. Information on waiting times by time band is shown in the following table for each health and social services board area, and for Northern Ireland, at 30 September 2005. At this date, 534 adults (70 per cent. of those waiting) had been waiting for 12 weeks or more, 59 (8 per cent.) had been waiting for between eight and 12 weeks, 63 (8 per cent.) for between five and eight weeks, 47 (6 per cent.) for between three and five weeks and 64 (8 per cent.) for less than three weeks. 403 (75 per cent.)of those waiting for 12 weeks or more were in the northern board area.
	
		
			  Time from end of assessment to delivery of care 
			 Board area Less than three weeks Threeunder five weeks Fiveunder eight weeks Eightunder 12 weeks 12 weeks or more Total 
		
		
			 Eastern 25 23 33 26 125 232 
			 Northern 36 19 20 33 403 511 
			 Southern 0 1 4 0 2 7 
			 Western 3 4 6 0 4 17 
			 Total 64 47 63 59 534 767

GCSE Results

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of pupils at (a) grammar schools, (b) secondary modern schools and (c) comprehensive schools in Northern Ireland obtained five A-C passes at GCSE in each of the last 20 years.

Angela Smith: In Northern Ireland the only distinction made by the Department of Education is between grammar schools and other secondary schools. The requested information for these types of school is as follows:
	
		Percentage of pupils in Year 12 achieving five or more passes at grades A*-C by school type, 199293 to 200304
		
			 Academic year Grammar Other secondary schools 
		
		
			 199293 90 27 
			 199394 91 27 
			 199495 94 27 
			 199596 94 28 
			 199697 95 30 
			 199798 94 31 
			 199899 95 33 
			 19992000 95 34 
			 200001 95 34 
			 200102 95 37 
			 200203 96 37 
			 200304 96 38 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The latest information available relates to the 200304 academic year.
	2. The earliest available information relates to the 199293 academic year.

GCSE Results

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of pupils in Northern Ireland obtained (a) five GCSE passes at grade A to C, (b) GCSE passes at grades A to C in mathematics and English and (c) GCSE passes in mathematics, English, a science subject and a modern foreign language in each of the last 20 years.

Angela Smith: The requested information is as follows:
	(a) Five or more GCSE passes at grades A* to C
	
		
			 Academic year Percentage achieving 5 or more GCSEs at grade A* to C 
		
		
			 199293 48 
			 199394 49 
			 199495 51 
			 199596 52 
			 199697 54 
			 199798 55 
			 199899 56 
			 19992000 57 
			 200001 57 
			 200102 59 
			 200203 59 
			 200304 60 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The latest available information relates to the 200304 academic year.
	2. The earliest available information relates to the 199293 academic year.
	(b) and (c) GCSEs in maths and English, and GCSEs in maths, English, a science and a modern language, grades A* to C.
	
		
			   Academic year Percentage achieving GCSEs in mathematics and English at grade A* to C Percentage achieving GCSEs passes at grades A* to C in mathematics, English, a science and a modem foreign language 
		
		
			 199596 46 64 
			 199697 48 64 
			 199798 49 60 
			 199899 50 65 
			 19992000 51 68 
			 200001 51 68 
			 200102 52 68 
			 200203 52 66 
			 200304 51 64 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The latest available information relates to the 200304 academic year.
	2. The earliest available information relates to the 199596 academic year.

Hostel Closure

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the reasons for the closure of the Lee Hestia Association Ltd./Novas Ouvertures Group Ltd. Hostel at 37 Brunswick Street, Belfast.

David Hanson: The Brunswick Street hostel was operated by the Lee Hestia Association Ltd. as a member organisation of the Novas-Ouvertures Group Ltd. Support services in the hostel were funded by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive under the Supporting People programme. The Novas-Ouvertures Group subsequently decided to withdraw its services from Northern Ireland and a number of other areas and the Brunswick Street hostel closed in July 2005. While this is entirely a matter for the Novas-Ouvertures Group, I understand that the decision was taken for business reasons.

Industrial Derating

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the Government's plans are for a phasing out of industrial de-rating in Northern Ireland; and what the average expected change in non-domestic rates is for an average industrial business as a consequence of the phasing-out.

Angela Smith: The phasing out of industrial derating, which was fully consulted on as part of the overall Review of Rating Policy, came into operation on 1 April 2005 when businesses entitled to industrial derating became liable for rates at 15 per cent. of their full rate assessment.
	The percentage amount of the full rate liability payable in 200607 will be 25 per cent., in 2007008 35 per cent., in 200809 50 per cent., 75 per cent. in 200910 and in 201011 with full rates becoming payable from l April 2011.
	As with all new policies the Government will review the phasing out of industrial derating. In this case a reasonable period of time is considered to be two years from the date of implementation.
	The average rate bill for properties entitled to industrial derating in 200506 is estimated at 2,290. Over the period of phasing out it is projected to be 3,990 in 200607, 5,840 in 200708, 8,710 in 200809, 13,660 in 200910, 14,270 in 201011 and 19, 890 in 201112.

Public Relations

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the value was of (a) public opinion research and (b) public relations contracts issued by his Department in 200405.

Peter Hain: In the Northern Ireland Office during 200405 the value of:
	(a) public opinion research was 250,698.16 1 and
	(b) public relations contracts was 9,517.
	1 Some of this expenditure was incurred over financial years 200506.

Pupil Profile Report

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will place in the Library a copy of the report produced by Durham university on the pilot of the proposed pupil profile.

Angela Smith: Neither the Department, nor the Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) are aware of any report by Durham university about the pilot for the proposed pupil profile. Any evaluation information on the pupil profile pilot is available on CCEA' s website www.ccea.org.uk.

Rates Revaluation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate the Government have made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of households in Northern Ireland whose bills will (i) increase, (ii) decrease and (iii) not change under the planned rates revaluation and shift to discrete capital values.

Angela Smith: This cannot be determined until the Valuation and Lands Agency completes the revaluation process in the spring of 2006. A study published by the university of Ulster in 2003, using sales information, suggested that the proportion whose bills would decrease following the move to discrete capital based rating would be 61 per cent., while 39 per cent. would face an increased bill. The Department's own analysis supports these estimates and indicates that the proportion of properties which will experience a decrease in bill of more than 5 per cent. is 52 per cent., the proportion that will face an increase in bill of more than 5 per cent. is 35 per cent. and the proportion with no change in bill (that is, between + /- 5 per cent.) is 13 per cent.
	This assumes overall revenues remain static. Furthermore the estimates do not allow for households which may qualify for housing benefit nor does it take into account the moderating impact of a three year transition scheme and any interim arrangements that may be considered for the treatment of district rates.

Road Accident Prevention

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been spent in each of the last 10 years on measures to prevent road traffic accidents in the Province.

Shaun Woodward: The chief executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has been asked to write to the hon. Lady in response to this question.
	Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin, dated 9 February 2006
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question regarding how much has been spent in each of the last 10 years on measures to prevent road traffic accidents in the Province.
	I have been asked to reply as this issue falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service.
	Improving road safety is a significant factor in developing the vast majority of schemes that are funded from Roads Service's capital budget. Within that budget the programmes that are specifically targeted at reducing road traffic collisions are the collision remedial and traffic calming programmes.
	Expenditure in each of the last 10 financial years on collision remedial and traffic calming across Northern Ireland was:
	
		
			   000 
			  Collision Remedial Traffic Calming 
		
		
			 199697 1,376 570 
			 199798 1,514 1,161 
			 199899 1,423 1,352 
			 19992000 1,557 1,179 
			 200001 1,595 1,027 
			 200102 1,658 1,545 
			 200203 1,589 1,859 
			 200304 1,976 2,011 
			 200405 2,605 2,549 
			 200506(18) 2,410 2,715 
			 Total 17,703 15,968 
		
	
	(18) Anticipated expenditure in this financial year
	I hope this information is helpful.

Unemployment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the percentage unemployment rates are for each ward in Northern Ireland listed in descending order and indicating in which constituency each ward lies.

Angela Smith: A copy of this information has been placed in the Library of the House.

WALES

Objective One

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether the total Welsh block figures set out in annex 1 of the Wales Office annual report 2005 (Cm 6545) include the above Barnett formula additions for objective one in Wales.

Peter Hain: Yes.

Statutory Instruments

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the statutory instruments introduced by his Department since 6 May 2005.

Peter Hain: One.
	The Public Audit (Wales) Act 2004 (Relaxation of Restriction on Disclosure) Order 2004.

Tourism Accommodation

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the costs of introducing a statutory registration scheme for providers of tourism accommodation in Wales.

Peter Hain: The Welsh Assembly Government are committed to ensuring that regulatory approaches conform to the best principles of proportionality, and will seek to ensure that the benefits of statutory registration should be achieved whilst minimising and, if possible, reducing the overall regulatory burden and compliance costs.
	The Welsh Assembly Government have, however, decided that further work is required to ensure that its policy of driving up the overall quality of tourism facilities in Wales is taken forward in a fully collaborative way, so is no longer seeking to introduce a draft Bill in this session as was originally planned.

Tourism Accommodation

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the economic impact of introducing a statutory registration scheme for providers of tourism accommodation in Wales.

Peter Hain: The clear policy aim is to generate a positive economic impact for the tourism industry in Wales. Boosting quality standards should ensure that visitors to Wales enjoy good standards of accommodation and service, hopefully increasing the number of repeat visits, and greatly assisting in marketing Wales as a tourist destination.
	The Welsh Assembly Government have decided that further work is required to ensure that its policy of driving up the overall quality of tourism facilities in Wales is taken forward in a fully collaborative way, so is no longer seeking to introduce a draft Bill in this session as was originally planned.

Tourism Accommodation

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent representations he has received about a statutory registration scheme for providers of tourism accommodation in Wales.

Peter Hain: I have regular meetings with representatives of the business community to discuss various issues of interest to them, including tourism.

Vandalism

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the acts of vandalism which have been perpetrated (a) inside and (b) on the outside of his Department's buildings in the last 12 months.

Peter Hain: None.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Building Regulations

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps the Government plan to take to amend building regulations to take account of further environmental initiatives.

Yvette Cooper: On 13 September 2005, I announced improvements to the energy efficiency standards set out in part L of the Building Regulations. The part L changes come into effect in April 2006 and will make a major contribution to the UK's commitment to combat climate change delivering increased energy standards of up to 27 per cent. for new buildings. In total this all means an increase of 40 per cent. since 2000.

Building Regulations

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps his Department is taking to encourage the construction of more energy efficient buildings above minimum Part L building regulations requirements; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is currently proposing a new Code for Sustainable Homes, which goes further than building regulations. Building Regulations will continue to set out the minimum legal standards for buildings. The Code could also provide an indication of the future direction of standards in building regulations.

Council Tax

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 8 December 2005, Official Report, column 1500W, on council tax revaluation, when the collection of value significant codes is forecast to be complete.

Phil Woolas: The collection of value significant codes is an ongoing task, as it has been since the onset of the council tax.

Departmental Expenditure

Pete Wishart: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what has been the annual expenditure on vehicles for (a) his Department and (b) each (i) non-departmental public body, (ii) executive agency and (iii) other public body for which he is responsible in (A) Scotland, (B) Wales, (C) each of the English regions and (D) Northern Ireland in each of the last three financial years; and what the planned expenditure is for 200506.

Phil Woolas: Expenditure on vehicles purchased for ODPM and bodies where information is available is as follows. No vehicles are provided by the ODPM in Northern Ireland or Scotland. The Department also supports specialist vehicles engaged in the transportation of resilience equipment in England and Wales and these figures are shown in the total. The Department does not maintain a record of expenditure broken down by region.
	
		
			  million 
			  200203 200304 200405 (19)200506 
		
		
			 ODPM England 6.9 8.245 8.17 5.642 
			 Agencies 0 0.441 0.030 0.848 
			 Other bodies 0.596 0.659 0.672 0.751 
			 Total 7.496 8.904 8.842 6.092 
		
	
	(19) To date

Departmental Groups

Michael Weir: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many staff work in his Department's Regional Development Group; how many are based in (a) London and (b) each region and what the total salary costs were of the group in each area in the last year for which figures are available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has 120.94 staff on full-time equivalent (FTE) basis working in the Regional Development Group, of these 102.27 (FTE) staff are based in London. The total salary costs for the 200506 financial year currently stands at 3.782 million.
	The above figures are as at 2 February 2006.
	The ODPM does not hold data regarding the regions; such a breakdown could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Groups

Pete Wishart: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many staff work in his Department's (a) Ministerial Group, (b) Legal Directorate and (c) Tackling Disadvantage Group; how many in each category are based in (i) London and (ii) each region; and what the total salary costs were of each group in each area in the last year for which figures are available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is tabled as follows:
	
		
			  Total (FTE) London based (FTE) Total salary costs 200506 (million) 
		
		
			 Ministerial Group 61.94 61.94 3.187 
			 Legal Directorate 61.93 61.93 3.231 
			 Tackling Disadvantage Group 228.76 221.26 8.756 
		
	
	Note:
	The figures are as at 2 February 2006.
	Source:
	ODPM (Central) Finance and HR IS.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not hold data regarding the regions; such a breakdown could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental IT Systems

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much his Department has spent on IT systems in each year since 1997; what the purpose of each system is; what the outturn against planned expenditure of each system was; and what the (a) planned and (b) actual date of completion was of each system.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was established in May 2002. For IT projects completed between May 2002 and 2004 I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Tatton (Mr. Osborne) on 19 January 2005, Official Report, column 99899W. The following tables identify the IT systems completed since that date.
	
		Office of the Deputy Prime Minister HQ 2005
		
			   System Purpose Planned expenditure (000) Outturn (000) Planned time Outturn time 
		
		
			 The Supporting People Directory Services To provide information about the housing-related support services available across England, including their referral route details 1,622 1,763 January 2005 August 2005 
			 Planning Portal Upgrade To provide a one-stop-shop for the planning system in England and Wales, with the aim of improving the planning system and adding value to the related services. In 200405 the project upgraded the hardware and software of the Planning Portal to reflect growing demand and usage 1,441 1,441 February 2005 February 2005 
			 Thames Gateway Programme Management Effective management of the Thames Gateway programme, with the purpose of: Providing timely and up to date information on programmes and projects: Being better able to challenge delivery partnership performance and financial management: Enabling more efficient working practices and less dependence on ad-hoc requests 557 549 August 2005 September 2005 
			 Total  ( million)  3.62 3.75   
		
	
	
		Government offices in the regions
		
			   System   Purpose of each system Planned expenditure (000) Outturn (000) Planned time Outturn time 
		
		
			 Web Rationalisation Project Delivery of unified government office websites based upon a common look, feel, navigation and content housed on central resilient architecture which also allows authoring of content to be devolved to those responsible for its production and maintenance 1,500 1,500 March 2005 Completed in June 2005 due to suspension of information activities during the general election. 
			 Human Resources Database Delivery of unified cross Government office HR database 355 355 March 2005 March 2005 
			 Government Office Contacts database Delivery of a cross Government office database to record and manage all external contacts. 300 300 March 2005 March 2005 
			 Online Performance Management System Delivery of a single on- line Business and Resource Planning and Reporting system enabling Government offices to plan manage and report on their performance against PSAs and GO high level priorities, and which supports raised performance across the network 95 95 March 2005 March 2005 
			 GOGIS1 Implementation of first stage of a Graphical Information System throughout the Government offices to allow geospatial data sharing and presentation 20 20 May 2002 May 2002 
			 GOGIS2 Second stage of the above. 50 50 April 2003 October 2003 
			 Total ( million)  2.32 2.32

Disabled Facilities Grants

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how long it has taken on average to approve an application for the disabled facilities grant in each year since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Local authorities are responsible for administering their disabled facilities grant schemes and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not request this information from them. A good practice guidanceDelivering Housing Adaptations for Disabled Peoplehas been issued to the local authorities on indicative time targets for assessments. The targets depend on the complexity and urgency of the case, from 65 working days/three months up to 179 working days/nine months.

Fire Service

Jeremy Wright: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many employees of the fire service on long-term sick leave are claiming incapacity benefit.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Fire Service

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he plans to take to encourage fire authorities to retain firefighters in an administrative role who are forced to retire from front-line duties due to ill health.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Fire and rescue authorities, as employers, are responsible for issues relating to the redeployment of firefighters in their employ who are no longer able to undertake operational duties due to ill health. Formerly such employees normally took medical retirement, but in September 2004, in order to enable and encourage fire and rescue authorities to consider such redeployment, amendments to the firefighters' pension scheme were made to allow regular firefighters to remain in active employment of fire and rescue authorities performing duties appropriate to the role of a firefighter other than, or in addition to, engaging in firefighting.
	In addition The Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 extended the functions of fire and rescue authorities to include fire safety, consequently giving wider scope for the employment of staff with experience of firefighting on other role-related duties.

Freedom of Information Act

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what total sum has been received by his Department for the provision of information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in its first year of operation.

Jim Fitzpatrick: No fees have been received by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, its agencies or the Government Office network, for the provision of information under the Freedom of Information Act or the Environmental Information Regulations since 1 January 2005.

Fuel Costs

Bill Olner: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what additional financial assistance he plans to give to local authorities to fund increases in gas and electricity costs; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: None. On 31 January 2006, I laid before the House the Government's plans for local government financial settlements for 200607 and 200708. The management of cost pressures within their budgets is a matter for each local authority.

Growth Location Business Plans

Anne Main: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 9 January 2006, to question 37947, what steps he is taking to encourage each growth location to secure local agreement on (a) priorities and (b) funding of growth location business plans.

Yvette Cooper: The answer to question reference 37947 referred to providers of private sector funding in the growth areas and it stated that Government are encouraging growth locations to follow the principles demonstrated by the Milton Keynes Partnership in securing local agreement on priorities and using both public and private funding to best effect to support their growth location business plans.
	This work is being led by local delivery vehicles in each major growth location, to ensure local agreement and buy-in.
	Each delivery vehicle includes local authority members as well as other key stakeholders. Work on a similar approach to that achieved in Milton Keynes has begun in North and West Northampton, in Ashford, Aylesbury and Cambridge.

Housing

Anne Main: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 1 December 2005, Official Report, column 68182W, on housing, how many empty private sector dwellings there were in (a) 200102, (b) 200203 and (c) 200304; and what percentage were returned to occupation in each year.

Yvette Cooper: The total numbers of vacant private sector dwellings in England based on snap-shot data, for 2002 to 2004, are given in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of vacant private sector dwellings 
		
		
			 2002 631,200 
			 2003 633,300 
			 2004 609,800 
		
	
	Information on the percentage of vacant dwellings that were returned to occupation is not collected centrally. This question is pursuant to the answer to parliamentary question 2104, which is related to the monitoring of local authorities' delivery of empty homes strategies. For this, the centrally held information on the percentage of vacant private sector dwellings that were returned to occupation or demolished as a direct result of local authority action by each district was provided.
	The same information for England is 2.9 per cent. for 2004 and 3.4 per cent. for 2003. Data for 2002 cannot be derived because the figures collected at local authority level were in percentages rather than total numbers.

Housing

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he is taking to enable first-time home buyers in Coventry to buy a home locally.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 30 January 2006
	In December 2005 details of the open market homebuy scheme were announced that an additional 20,000 households will be helped into homeownership by 2010. Nationally the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has made available over 5 billion funding for investment by local authorities and housing associations in 200607 and 200708 to support key housing priorities, including support for low cost home ownership (LCHO). The homebuy programme offers shared equity to help first time buyers to buy a share of the council or housing association home they rent, or of a newly built home. Allocations for the region will be announced in the next few weeks.

Local Government Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what access private sector firms have to the business rating list for individual business premises; and what the costs are for such access.

Phil Woolas: Local non-domestic rating lists compiled and maintained by valuation officers can be accessed free of charge through the Valuation Office Agency website at: www.voa.gov.uk

Local Government Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total Government grant per capita to each local authority in England, including fire and police authorities, was in each year since 199899; and what the estimate is for 200607.

Phil Woolas: The information available has been made available in the Library of the House.
	Government grant information for 200607 is not currently available centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Information for 200607 is obtained from local authorities' Revenue Account Budget (RA) forms. These data are expected to be available by the end of June 2006.

Local Government Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what preparatory work his Department conducted before the decision to postpone the council tax revaluation in England.

Phil Woolas: My right hon. Friend the Minister of Communities and Local Government set out the Government's reasons for the decision to postpone council tax revaluation on 20 September 2005.

Local Government Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many households are in each council tax band in each local authority area in London.

Phil Woolas: The numbers of dwellings liable for council tax in each local authority area in London as at 19 September 2005 and in each council tax band are tabled as follows.
	
		Council tax band
		
			  A- A B C D 
		
		
			 City of London 0 10 232 622 772 
			   
			 Inner London  
			 Camden 2 1,790 9,189 17,928 22,472 
			 Greenwich 5 11,673 17,019 32,208 18,552 
			 Hackney 2 4,188 29,812 27,344 13,965 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 0 2,588 5,084 12,291 20,866 
			 Islington 0 638 5,440 26,245 26,166 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 0 652 3,169 8,623 12,671 
			 Lambeth 3 4,457 30,771 34,385 24,997 
			 Lewisham 13 6,529 28,437 37,733 24,037 
			 Southwark 6 11,304 35,050 28,963 16,622 
			 Tower Hamlets 4 1,457 24,236 29,180 12,632 
			 Wandsworth 1 5,806 11,535 33,901 28,726 
			 Westminster 0 1,351 5,766 14,925 20,850 
			   
			 Outer London  
			 Barking and Dagenham 3 6,912 9,921 40,210 7,687 
			 Barnet 1 1,655 8,442 24,678 28,777 
			 Bexley 1 4,681 9,521 26,855 25,753 
			 Brent 1 2,088 10,742 29,725 28,354 
			 Bromley 0 1,642 8,824 25,845 33,482 
			 Croydon 0 1,790 18,158 40,161 35,750 
			 Baling 3 2,319 11,418 27,161 39,041 
			 Enfield 1 4,722 10,460 29,740 34,260 
			 Haringey 4 4,589 15,334 29,271 24,365 
			 Harrow 0 250 2,833 16,506 26,318 
			 Havering 4 5,244 9,393 23,365 32,653 
			 Hillingdon 0 591 4,974 19,711 41,783 
			 Hounslow 0 1,337 7,897 21,464 34,103 
			 Kingston upon Thames 0 159 2,475 13,258 18,456 
			 Merton 4 1,014 7,417 18,963 25,957 
			 Newham 1 4,465 28,654 43,552 13,924 
			 Redbridge 0 1,517 10,406 22,404 29,742 
			 Richmond upon Thames 1 572 1,908 11,167 18,896 
			 Sutton 2 578 6,399 24,006 22,409 
			 Waltham Forest 3 3,399 24,665 31,581 21,751 
		
	
	
		
			  E F G H Total 
		
		
			 City of London 2,044 907 821 94 5,502 
			   
			 Inner London  
			 Camden 15,237 9,457 11,056 3,800 90,931 
			 Greenwich 9,838 2,730 1,797 264 94,086 
			 Hackney 8,589 3,795 1,095 39 88,829 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 13,371 8,349 9,922 1,795 74,266 
			 Islington 12,471 6,556 6,262 811 84,589 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 12,558 11,259 18,901 13,253 81,086 
			 Lambeth 12,401 8,360 5,073 539 120,986 
			 Lewisham 7,026 2,721 1,267 153 107,916 
			 Southwark 10,650 4,938 3,654 464 111,651 
			 Tower Hamlets 10,815 5,324 2,489 346 86,483 
			 Wandsworth 17,957 12,196 10,870 2,030 123,022 
			 Westminster 20,022 14,575 19,552 12,806 109,847 
			   
			 Outer London  
			 Barking and Dagenham 1,699 311 53 6 66,802 
			 Barnet 28,091 18,111 14,951 3,556 128,262 
			 Bexley 18,909 4,455 1,659 39 91,873 
			 Brent 20,561 5,926 3,237 231 100,865 
			 Bromley 27,512 16,661 12,920 1,018 127,904 
			 Croydon 21,007 11,236 7,192 568 135,862 
			 Baling 20,789 8,897 6,382 845 116,855 
			 Enfield 19,983 8,601 5,687 770 114,224 
			 Haringey 10,507 5,311 4,506 575 94,462 
			 Harrow 21,121 7,198 5,611 1,011 80,848 
			 Havering 14,504 6,035 2,943 221 94,362 
			 Hillingdon 16,675 8,720 4,168 323 96,945 
			 Hounslow 13,560 5,080 3,590 748 87,779 
			 Kingston upon Thames 13,690 7,425 3,756 822 60,041 
			 Merton 12,597 4,566 3,749 1,371 75,638 
			 Newham 2,398 361 32 21 93,408 
			 Redbridge 18,812 7,089 2,999 171 93,140 
			 Richmond upon Thames 19,109 11,067 11,650 2,672 77,042 
			 Sutton 11,667 6,537 3,579 237 75,414 
			 Waltham Forest 7,966 1,773 422 24 91,584 
		
	
	The data are as reported by local authorities on the annual CTB1 return. Dwellings that are subject to the Council Tax (Reductions for Disabilities) Regulations 1992 (as amended), are charged council tax at the rate of one band lower than that on the Valuation Office valuation list. Council tax for a Band A- dwelling is charged at 5/9 of the council tax of a Band D dwelling; Band A dwellings are charged at 6/9 of the council tax of a Band D dwelling.

Local Government Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many households in each council tax band in London were eligible in 200405 for (a) single person's discount and (b) empty home discount.

Phil Woolas: The number of dwellings liable for council tax in each council tax band in London that were eligible at 11 October 2004 for (a) single person's discount and (b) long-term empty property discount is tabled as follows.
	
		
			 Council tax band Single adult discount Long-term empty property discount 
		
		
			 A- 35 0 
			 A 62,054 3,153 
			 B 243,392 7,029 
			 C 369,503 11,713 
			 D 264,740 8,615 
			 E 130,596 5,150 
			 F 53,950 2,876 
			 G 35,645 2,792 
			 H 6,421 1,272 
			 Total 1,166,336 42,600 
		
	
	The data are as reported by local authorities on the annual CTB1 return.
	Dwellings that are subject to the Council Tax (Reductions for Disabilities) Regulations 1992 (as amended), are charged council tax at the rate of one band lower than that on the Valuation Office valuation list. Council tax for a Band A- dwelling is charged at 5/9 of the council tax of a Band D dwelling; Band A dwellings are charged at 6/9 of the council tax of a Band D dwelling.
	Long-term empty homes can be subject to a discount of between 0 per cent. and 50 per cent.

Local Government Reorganisation

Tony Baldry: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions officials in his Department have had with chief executives of local authorities on possible future legislation on the reorganisation of local government.

Phil Woolas: Officials in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister have held meetings with chief executives of local authorities to discuss local authority restructuring on six separate occasions since December 2005.

Parliamentary Questions

David Davies: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  how many parliamentary questions tabled in the last 12 months for answer by him on a named day (a) were transferred and (b) received a substantive answer (i) on the day named and (ii) after the day named;
	(2)  how many ordinary written parliamentary questions tabled for answer by him in the last 12 months have been answered (a) within 14 days, (b) between 14 and 28 days, (c) between 28 days and two months and (d) in excess of two months after the date of tabling; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Ministers in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) aim to ensure that hon. Members receive a substantive response to their named day question on the named day and to endeavour to answer ordinary written questions within a working week of being tabled. Unfortunately, this is not always possible but ODPM makes every effort to achieve these timescales.
	In the period 7 February 2005 to 6 February 2006, 480 named day parliamentary questions were tabled to my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister. Of those, 351 (73 per cent.) received a substantive answer on the day named and 101 (21 per cent.) were answered by ODPM Ministers after the day named. The remaining 28 named day questions (6 per cent.) were transferred to another Department and the ODPM does not hold information on when those questions were answered.
	In the same period, 2,986 ordinary written parliamentary questions were tabled to my right hon. Friend. Information on the length of time taken to answer those questions is not available in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, of the 2,986 ordinary written questions tabled to my right hon. Friend, 2,284 (76 per cent.) were answered within a working week.

Supermarkets (Planning Permission)

Keith Vaz: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent representations the Government have received on planning permission for new supermarkets.

Yvette Cooper: My right. hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister has decided nine planning cases involving supermarkets since 1 January 2005. There is one retail case involving a supermarket currently before my right. hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister for decision. Representations received by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister are set out in the decision letter of each case and are made available to the public on written request.

Sustainable Building Task Group

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the members of the Sustainable Building Task Group; and to whom this group is responsible within his Department.

Yvette Cooper: Following the better building summit in October 2003, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Department of Trade and Industry agreed that a working group should be established which would bring together key representatives from the construction sector, green technology companies, local authorities, the housing corporation and others, to consider how best to improve the sustainability of all aspects of construction and design, including off-site construction and low carbon technologies.
	This task group was a short-life group set up to identify specific, cost-effective, improvements in the quality and environmental performance of buildings which industry can deliver in both the short and long term, together with further actions that Government could take to facilitate faster progress.
	The Secretaries of State asked Sir John Harman (chair, Environment Agency) and Victor Benjamin (deputy chair, English Partnerships) to co-chair the Sustainable Buildings Task Group, and invited the following to serve on the task group:
	Michael Ankers, chief executive, The Construction Products Association
	Julian Barwick , joint managing director, Development Securities
	Sheila Button, board member, The Housing Corporation
	John Calcutt, chief executive, Crest Nicholson
	Ian Coull, chairman designate, The Sustainable Construction Task Force
	Robert Napier, chief executive, WWF-UK
	Paul Noon, co-chairman, Trade Union Sustainable Development Advisory Committee
	Jennie Price, chief executive, The Waste and Resources Action Programme
	Philip Sellwood, chief executive, The Energy Saving Trust
	Peter Studdart, head of environment and planning, Cambridge city council
	Lynne Sullivan, sustainability director, Broadway Malyan
	Pamela Taylor, chief executive, Water UK
	Bryan Woodley, UK Timber Frame Association
	Terry Wyatt, president, CIBSE (The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers
	The task group presented their recommendations to Government on 17 May 2004.
	The Government response was issued on 27 July 2004. The task group was then disbanded.

Sustainable Buildings

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received from private sector developers on his Department's proposed code for sustainable buildings; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The proposal for introducing the code for sustainable homes went out on consultation on 5 December 2005. This will last until 6 March 2006. A small number of responses have been received so far. All these will be analysed once the consultation period is over.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State forthe Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders were made in Wales in each of the last five years.

Hazel Blears: The available information is given in the following table.
	
		The number of antisocial behaviour orders issued at all courts within Wales, as notified to the Home Office, from 1 July 2000 to 30 June 2005 (latest available)
		
			 Period Total issued 
		
		
			 1 July 2000 to 31 December 2000 2 
			 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2001 5 
			 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2002 12 
			 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2003 59 
			 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2004 94 
			 1 January 2005 to 30 June 2005 98 
			 Total 270

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been imposed in (a) England and (b) Wales in each year since their introduction.

Hazel Blears: The available information is given in the following table.
	
		The number of antisocial behaviour orders issued at all courts within England and Wales, as notified to the Home Office, from 1 April 1999 to 30 June 2005 (latest available)
		
			 Period England Wales Total 
		
		
			 1 April 1999 to 31 May 2000(20) 104 - 104 
			 1 June to 31 December 2000 133 2 135 
			 1 January to 31 December 2001 318 5 323 
			 1 January to 31 December 2002 392 12 404 
			 1 January to 31 December 2003 984 59 1,043 
			 1 January to 31 December 2004 2,566 94 2,660 
			 1 January to 30 June 2005 1,730 98 1,828 
			 Total 6,227 270 6,497 
		
	
	(20) During this period ASBO data were collected on aggregate numbers only by police force area.

Basic Command Units

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 29 November 2005, Official Report, column 428W, on the basic command unit boundaries, whether the table is based upon (a) 200304 and (b) 200405 basic command units.

Hazel Blears: The table relates to those boundaries in use for (b) 200405. Basic command unit and ward boundaries are subject to change and in the absence of any current requirement for such data this table has not been updated. Any such updating could only be undertaken at disproportionate cost.
	Paragraph two, schedule two of the Police and Justice Bill amends the Police Act 1996 to place basic command units on a statutory footing and mandate co-terminosity with local authority boundaries.

Christmas Cards

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the cost to his Department of sending Christmas cards in 2005.

Charles Clarke: For 2005 the Home Office sponsored an official Christmas card produced by, and in support of, the charity Victim Support.
	The cost of the design and production of the 20,000 copies of the card was 11,641.
	The Department does not hold separate costs of postage from its overall postage costs.
	All expenditure incurred in the purchase and postage of the official Christmas card was made in accordance with the departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in Government Accounting.

Citizens Juries

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions his Department consulted citizens juries on departmental policies in the last five years; in how many of those consultations the recommendations of the citizens' jury differed from existing departmental policy; and on how many occasions departmental policy was changed to reflect the recommendations of the citizens' jury.

Charles Clarke: The Home Office has no central policy for consulting citizens' juries on departmental policy and therefore this information is not stored in one place. To check practice over the last five years with every policy area would incur a disproportionate cost.
	The Home Office consults the public on policy using a wide range of other methods, including policy consultation papers. A list of current open consultations is available on the departmental website.

Crime Statistics

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many violent crimes were committed (a) in Romford, (b) in Havering and (c) by illegal immigrants in (i) Romford and (ii) Havering in each of the last five years.

Hazel Blears: It is not possible to identify violent crimes committed by illegal immigrants from the recorded crime statistics. The available data are at basic command unit (BCD) level and are provided for the London borough of Havering only in the following table.
	
		Recorded offences of violent crime for Havering basic command unit
		
			  200001 200102 200203 200304 200405 
		
		
			 Violence against the person 2,787 3,225 3,901 3,922 4,191 
			 Sexual offences 158 173 178 181 159 
			 Robbery 392 549 479 512 442 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The National Crime Recording Standard was introduced on 1 April 2002.
	2. Figures are therefore not directly comparable with those for earlier years.

Departmental Estate

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) land and (b) property is owned by his Department in Forest of Dean constituency.

Charles Clarke: My Department does not own land or property in the constituency of Forest of Dean.

Departmental Estate

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the items valued at over 100 that have been reported as stolen from Home Office buildings in the past 12 months.

Charles Clarke: The items valued at over 100 stolen from Home Office buildings relate specifically to a robbery from Graeme House, Liverpool on 9 December.
	The items stolen were (i) right of abode receipts totalling 120, (ii) citizenship ceremonies receipts totalling 14,288 and (iii) nationality receipts totalling 35,991.
	Total items recovered were (i) right of abode receiptsnone, (ii) citizenship ceremonies receipts12,036 and (iii) nationality receipts30,494.
	The net loss stands at 7,869.

Departmental Staff (Castle Point)

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff employed by his Department live in Castle Point.

Charles Clarke: The Home Office (including the Immigration and Nationality Department) has no staff residing in Castle Point. However, Her Majesty's Prison Service has thirty staff living in the area (rounded to the nearest ten staff).

Drug Classification

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to reclassify methamphetamine as a class A drug pending further report of the Advisory Committee on the Misuse of Drugs; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: I asked the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) to keep the classification of methylamphetamine under close review when accepting its recommendation, in November 2005, that it should remain a class B drug. I will await the Council's further advice, which I requested within 12 months, before making any further decisions on classification.

Drug Classification

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will refer methylamphetamine to the Advisory Committee on the Misuse of Drugs for review as a matter of urgency.

Paul Goggins: The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) recently reviewed the classification of Methylamphetamine under the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act and published its report in November 2005. I accepted its recommendations that it should remain classified as a class B drug, but I have asked the Council to keep the matter under close review and report back to me within 12 months.

Drug Treatment Programmes

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the waiting time is for access to residential drug treatment for heroin addicts in Plymouth.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 6 February 2006
	I have been asked to reply.
	The waiting time, provided by the Plymouth drug action team, for access to residential drug treatment for drug users accessing rehabilitation is three weeks. Waiting time data is not collected for patients in terms of an addiction to a specific drug.
	In December 2001, there was an overall average waiting time of 9.1 weeks in England. This had reduced to 2.4 weeks in September 2005.

Forensic Science

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which body is responsible for ensuring standards in forensic science laboratories; and if he will make a statement on its work.

Andy Burnham: There is currently no national body responsible for the setting of national standards for forensic science laboratories. However, forensic science organisations can be accredited to the international standards for general testing of laboratory processes, such as ISO 9001: 17025. The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is the body available to the government for assessment and verification audits against these standards.
	UKAS is a commercial non-profit distributing company limited by guarantee, and operates under a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Trade and Industry. UKAS employ 130 technical professionals and contract the services of an additional 260 external assessors and technical experts as required. UKAS have an explicit duty to act in the public interest.

Drug Offences

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been convicted of possession of (a) a Class A drug, (b) a Class B drug and (c) a Class C drug in each of the last five years; and what percentage received a custodial sentence in each case.

Hazel Blears: The number of people who have been convicted for possession of class A, B and C drugs in the last five years is shown in the table. The table includes the percentage of people given a custodial sentence for the possession offences.
	
		The number of people found guilty or cautioned for drug possession offences
		
			 Type of offence 2004(21) Percentage of custodial sentences 2003 Percentage of custodial Sentences 2002 Percentage of custodial sentences 
		
		
			 Offences under Drugs Acts:   
			 A 45500 3 5,450 8 20,900 13 
			 B 5230 8 82,950 3 83,540 3 
			 C 45,500 3 560 4 630 3 
		
	
	
		
			 Type of offence 
			 Offences under Drugs Acts: 2001 Percentage of custodial sentences 2000 Percentage of custodial sentences 
		
		
			 A 18,520 16 19,990 14 
			 B 73,180 3 75,976 4 
			 C 410 15 14 0.5 
		
	
	(21) Cannabis was reclassified in January 2004. There were 45,390 cannabis possession offences in 2004 where the offenders were found guilty of cautioned as compared with 77,500 in 2003. However, there were 27,520 street warnings for cannabis possession since the street warnings were introduced nationally in April 2004 and this is likely to have reduced cautioning figures for cannabis possession.

Drug Offences

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were convicted of possession of (a) a Class A, (b) a Class B and (c) a Class C drug with intent to supply in each of the last five years; and what percentage received a custodial sentence in each case.

Hazel Blears: The number of people who have been convicted for possession with intent to supply a class A, B and C drugs in the last five years is shown in the table. The table includes the percentage of people given a custodial sentence for the possession offences.
	
		The number of people found guilty or cautioned for drug possession with intent to supply offences
		
			 Class 2004 Percent receiving custodial sentences 2003 Percentage of custodial sentences 2002 Percentage of custodial sentences 
		
		
			 A 2,200 39 440 66 3,730 77 
			 B 520 63 2,940 43 2,900 45 
			 C 2,200 39 0 0 10 0 
		
	
	
		
			 Class 2001 Percentage of custodial sentences 2000 Percentage of custodial sentences 
		
		
			 A 3,230 77 3,634 68 
			 B 3,020 49 4,365 44 
			 C 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	Note:
	Cannabis was reclassified in January 2004. There were 2,200 possession with intent to supply cannabis offences in 2004 and 2,500 in 2003.

Drug Offences

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the percentage of police time spent on drug-related crime in the last period for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: This information is not collected centrally.

Identity Cards

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 30 November 2005, Official Report, column 594W, on Identity Cards, whether the Identity Cards Programme has now mapped the impact of the proposed scheme on efforts to defeat money laundering and organised crime.

Andy Burnham: As noted in the answer of the 8 of December 2005, Official Report, column 1527W, work to identify benefits to fight organised crime and money laundering with law enforcement agencies and Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs as well as with organisations like the Financial Services Authority will be ongoing up to and beyond the launch of the Identity Cards Scheme so that, along with planned activities, its potential to assist any emerging threats can be assessed.
	Thus, there is no definitive end date for this work. However, as stated in the answer of the 30 of November 2005, Official Report, column 594A, the results of this work feeds into the development of the Identity Cards benefits case, an overview of which was published on 27 June 2005.
	In general, the work continues to show that the Identity Cards Scheme can disrupt and impede the activities of criminals, improve the intelligence picture available to the law enforcement agencies, establish greater certainty in establishing the identity of individuals involved in large cash transactions, will have an additional deterrent effect in terms of money laundering and will assist in investigations.

London Bombers (Surveillance)

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the nature was of surveillance carried out in relation to (a) Sidique Khan and (b) Shahzad Tanweer before 7 July 2005; when any such surveillance commenced; and when it finished.
	 Question number missing in Hansard, possibly truncated question.

Charles Clarke: It has been the established policy of successive Governments to neither confirm nor deny speculation about covert operations or to comment on on-going police investigations.

National Identity Register

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2005, Official Report, column 1755W, on the National Identity Register, whether a decision has been taken on the type and quantity of biometric data to be held for each person on the National Identity Register on the basis of the Bill as it stands following amendment in the House of Lords.

Andy Burnham: It is currently envisaged that 10 fingerprints, two irises and a facial image will be recorded on each person's entry in the National Identity Register, subject to personal circumstances. There have been no amendments to the Identity Cards Bill in the Lords that have affected that assumption. Final decisions will depend on the outcome of the procurement stage and will be constrained by the legal framework set out in the Bill.

Police National Computer

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals have access to the Police National Computer (PNC); what safeguards exist to prevent unlawful access to the PNC; what audit arrangements are in place to monitor inappropriate access to the PNC; what penalties exist for unlawful use of the PNC; and what guidance has been issued on the appropriate course of action if officers are found to have misused the system.

Hazel Blears: We take the security of the Police National Computer (PNC) very seriously. Ownership of all the police data rest with chief constables. Each force's security and access protocols must be in accordance with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS) Information Systems Community Security Policy that also governs usage of the Police National Computer (PNC). Security of the PNC is also governed by an Accreditation Document Set, which contains security countermeasures specifically relating to the PNC. Similar arrangements are also in place for the agencies that have been given authorised access to the PNC.
	For security reasons I am not in a position to describe the arrangements that are in place to prevent or detect unauthorised access to the PNC but I am satisfied that these arrangements are adequate.
	Misuse of the PNC is controlled by legislation and it is for the chief officer to determine the action for redress through the courts or by internal police disciplinary procedures via the police discipline regulations.
	The fact that forces control PNC access locally means that I am unable to provide you with information on the number of people authorised to have access.

Police Officers

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers resigned from police forces in England and Wales in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is provided in the following table. More resignations are to be expected as there has been record growth in police service staffing over the last five years.
	
		Total number (headcount) of voluntary resignations from police forces (200105)
		
			  Police officers 
		
		
			 As at 31 March 2001(22) 1,468 
			 As at 31 March 2002(22) 1,674 
			 As at 31 March 2003(23) 1,969 
			 As at 31 March 2004 2,187 
			 As at 31 March 2005 2,109 
		
	
	(22) In 2001 and 2002 these data were collected by HMIC
	(23) Total excludes one force

Public Appointments

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the former hon. Members who left Parliament in 2005 who have since been appointed to public bodies by his Department, broken down by party; and who is responsible for making each appointment.

Charles Clarke: There were no Members of Parliament who left Parliament in 2005 and who have since been appointed to public bodies by the Home Department.

Race-related Crime

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government are taking to tackle race-related crime; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: In recent years the Government have strengthened the criminal penalties for offences such as incitement to racial hatred. The Government have also introduced racially aggravated and religiously aggravated offences. The Racial and Religious Hatred Bill introduces an offence of using threatening words or behaviour with the intent to stir up religious hatred.
	In May 2005, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the Home Office published a Hate Crime Manual: Hate Crime: Delivering a Quality Service. The manual aims to provide tactical and practical guidance to police forces and authorities on the handling and investigation of hate crime including racially and religiously motivated offences.
	In July 2003 the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) published a policy statement which made a clear commitment to prosecute racist and religious crime fairly, firmly and robustly. The publication of the CPS Racist Incident Monitoring Annual Report 20042005 shows the achievements of the CPS in bringing offenders to justice.
	Under the terms of the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime on reporting and recording racist incidents, victims of racially or religiously motivated offences are defined as vulnerable and will receive an enhanced service.
	The Race Relations Act places a statutory general duty on public authorities to promote good relations between persons of different racial groups and in July 2005 the Commission for Racial Equality produced Promoting Good Race Relations; A Guide for Public Authorities.
	Additionally, in 2002, the Home Office issued guidance to crime reduction partnerships on tackling racist antisocial behaviour. This included a Racist Crime and Harassment Toolkit.
	Home Office officials are currently working with a small number of key stakeholders to take forward a range of work to tackle race, faith and homophobic hate crime more effectively. It is envisaged that this workwill include projects to improve the local response to hate crime, increase victim confidence in the criminal justice system, increase the proportion of victims who report hate crimes and the proportion of those crimes that are brought to justice, and improve the evidence base on hate crime.

Raoul Wallenberg

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received about including Raoul Wallenberg in Holocaust Memorial Day.

Paul Goggins: I have not received any representations about including Raoul Wallenberg in Holocaust Memorial Day, an event which, from this year onwards, is arranged under the auspices of the Holocaust Memorial Trust.
	Photographs of Raoul Wallenberg were included in the trust's information pack that provided guidelines for local activities. Also, prior to the main event, which took place on 26 January in Cardiff, First Minister of Wales, Rhodri Morgan and Cardiff Council Leader Rodney Berman signed a Book of Commitment to Holocaust Memorial Day, at a special ceremony on Wednesday 18 January. Chair of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust Dr. Stephen Smith and Chief Executive Nick Joseph presented the book at the ceremony, which took place at the Raoul Wallenberg Memorial in Cathays Park, Cardiff.
	The Chair of the Trust, Stephen Smith, spoke about Raoul Wallenberg, when he signed the book of commemoration in Cardiff saying pointing out it was particularly fitting that the ceremony should take place at the memorial to Raoul Wallenberg, who was instrumental in saving thousands of lives during the war and at considerable risk to himself.

Respect Agenda

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the Government's Respect agenda will affect Romford; and whether the implementation of that agenda will include increasing funding for law enforcement in Romford.

Hazel Blears: The Respect Action Plan sets out the Government's plans for a renewed and broader drive against antisocial behaviour. The measures include: plans to develop neighbourhood policing and increase the number of police community support officers; measures to build stronger communities and empower local people including the community call for action to deal with antisocial behaviour; increasing the accountability of Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships; and a range of new powers to help police and local authorities take action against unacceptable behaviour.
	I announced the final details of the 200607 grant settlement for all police authorities in England and Wales on 31 January. On a like for like basis Government grant and central spending on services for the police will have increased by nearly 50 per cent. or around 3.5 billion between 200001 and 200607.
	The Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) will receive an increase in general grant of 3.1 per cent. (54.7 million) over the comparable figure for 200506. This is in line with the broadly flat rate increase of 3.1 per cent. for all forces in England and Wales. The MPA also gains 4.3 million and 1 million from the Amending Reports for 200405 and 200506, bringing its overall increase in 200607 to 3.4 per cent.
	In addition to general grant the MPA will receive 54.72 million in special formula grant and 339.76 million in specific grant and capital provision.
	Allocation of these resources and appropriate budget management are matters for the MPA and the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis.

Secondments

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people from science and technology backgrounds have been seconded into the civil service in his Department in each of the last three years.

Charles Clarke: Secondments are part of the interchange initiative, which promotes the exchange of people and good practice between the civil service and other organisationspublic, private and voluntary. Interchange provides opportunities for civil servants to learn new skills, widen their experience and develop ideas. It also brings in skills and experiences from other sectors.
	During the period 1 April 2002 to 31 December 2005, 208 staff were seconded into the Home Office from outside the civil service. The Home Office records data on inward secondees according to their originating sectori.e. private, voluntary, academic and public servicebut it does not specifically collate data on secondees with a science and technology background.
	The annual number of inward secondments to the Home Office from outside the civil service for each of the past three years was:
	
		
			  Number of inward secondments 
		
		
			 200203 78 
			 200304 64 
			 200405 66

Sex Offenders

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 30 January to Question 44622, on sex offenders, what information is supplied to the police regarding the relevant conviction in court to enable enforcement of the requirement of the offender to notify the police; how many relevant offenders were required to make an initial notification to the police in 2005; and how many did so.

Hazel Blears: The courts will provide the police with an offender's name, address and date of birth; the offence(s), sentence(s) and date of the conviction(s); any ancillary orders made by the court and the duration of the notification period (the period of time the individual will spend on the sex offenders register). Figures for the number of offenders who become subject to the notification requirements in any 12 month period are not held centrally. In 2001 we introduced the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) and the requirement on each police and probation area to produce annual reports detailing the work undertaken to safeguard the public and manage dangerous offenders in the community. The MAPPA reports include statistics on the number of offenders who are subject to the notification requirements. The 200405 reports state that on 31 March 2005 there were 28,994 registered sex offenders living in the community.

Terrorism

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been arrested in (a) Romford, (b) Havering and (c) Greater London under anti-terrorism legislation in the last five years.

Charles Clarke: Statistics on Terrorism Act 2000 arrests and outcomes of those arrests are published on the Home Office website on the following link: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/security/terrorism-and-the-law/terrorism-act/
	Figures are not currently broken down into specific areas because they are not collated in this way. The statistics have instead been collated nationally from 11 September 2005 and are updated quarterly.

Terrorism

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests linked with terrorism have been made in Wales in each of the last five years.

Charles Clarke: Statistics on Terrorism Act 2000 arrests and outcomes of those arrests are published on the Home Office website on the following link: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/security/terrorism-and-the-law/terrorism-act/
	Figures are not currently broken down into force areas because they are not collated in this way. The statistics have instead been collated nationally from 11 September 2001 and are updated quarterly.

Terrorism

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what meetings have been held in the last six months of the pilot group tasked with taking forward the recommendation adopted at the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council in Brussels on 28 and 29 November 2002 in relation to terrorist profiling; and what was discussed at those meetings.

Charles Clarke: Following the last meeting of the pilot group, held in November 2003, the task of developing terrorist profiles has been taken forward by Europol's Counter-Terrorism Task Force. The pilot group itself has therefore not met again since November 2003. Europol hosted a project workshop, with UK representation, on 28 and 29 June 2005, and another meeting is planned for early February 2006. This is an ongoing project which continues to receive member states' contributions and share its interim results. However, you will understand that it would not be appropriate for me to disclose the specific details of these discussions.

Vehicle Thefts

Jim Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many thefts have been recorded by the Metropolitan police of (a) cars, (b) motorcycles, (c) vans and (d) heavy goods vehicles in each of the past five years.

Hazel Blears: The available information relates to the offence of theft or unauthorised taking of a motor vehicle and is given in the following table. A more detailed breakdown of type of motor vehicle is not collected centrally.
	
		Theft or unauthorised taking of a motor vehicle
		
			 Financial year Metropolitan police 
		
		
			 200001 62,452 
			 200102 62,112 
			 200203 58,405 
			 200304 55,158 
			 200405 48,026 
		
	
	Note:
	The National Crime Recording Standard was introduced on 1 April 2002. Figures are therefore not directly comparable with those for earlier years.

Young Offenders (Record Retention)

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what circumstances the police are permitted to retain records on juveniles who have been accused of an offence but against whom no further proceedings have been taken.

Hazel Blears: Section 64 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984 provides that fingerprints, footwear impressions and samples taken from persons suspected, at the time of taking, of having committed a recordable offence may be retained and used in connection with the prevention and detection of crime, the investigation of an offence, the conduct of a prosecution, or the identification of a deceased person or body part.
	Section 64A(4) of PACE, provides that photographs of persons suspected, at the time of taking, of having committed a recordable offence may be retained and used in connection with the prevention and detection of crime, the investigation of an offence, the conduct of a prosecution, or the enforcement of a sentence.
	Fingerprints, footwear impressions and samples taken with consent for elimination purposes from someone not suspected of having committed an offence must be destroyed after they have fulfilled the purpose for which they were taken, unless the person gives written consent for their samples to be used as above.
	These provisions apply to both adults and juveniles and are irrespective of the outcome of the investigation. Chief officers of police have discretion on the retention of fingerprints, footwear impressions, samples and photographs.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how his Department is liaising with the Afghanistan Government to deal with the opium problem in Afghanistan.

Kim Howells: The UK, as designated partner nation for counter narcotics, has worked closely with the Government of Afghanistan since 2002. Recently, we supported the Government of Afghanistan in reviewing and updating its National Drugs Control Strategy. The strategy was endorsed by the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Counter Narcotics, at which HM Ambassador is an observer, and approved by President Karzai in January 2006. The strategy was launched during the Counter Narcotics (CN) session of the London Conference on Afghanistan on 31 January. It sets out four key priorities, which we believe will help make a greater impact on the trade and sustain the reduction in cultivation we have seen in 2005. These are: targeting traffickers; strengthening and diversifying legal rural livelihoods; developing institutions; and demand reduction.
	The UK is working very closely with the Government of Afghanistan to help build Afghan capacity to tackle the drugs problem. We are funding a 12.5 million Institution Development project to strengthen the Ministry of Counter Narcotics, established at the end of 2004, and other institutions in Afghanistan.
	We have helped to establish and provide training for the Counter Narcotics Police of Afghanistan (CNPA)the lead drugs law enforcement agency, headquartered in Kabul with seven provincial offices. The CNPA is currently around 500 strong, but will be expanded further to give it the capacity to operate nationwide. The UK is also providing training for the Afghan Special Narcotics Force (ASNF), an elite and highly trained force equipped to tackle high value targets across the country. Since January 2004, the CNPA and ASNF have seized approximately 165 tonnes of opiates, destroyed over 264 drugs labs and made a significant number of arrests.
	We are also working with the international community to recruit and train a counter narcotics Criminal Justice Task Force of Afghan investigators, prosecutors and judges to work with the CNPA, to be able to push through successful drugs investigations and prosecutions. The Criminal Justice Task Force is currently around 80 strong and made its first convictions in May this year for drug trafficking in Kabul. A new drugs law was also passed in December 2005.
	As partner nation, the UK is also responsible for co-ordinating international assistance and encouraging the international community to increase their support to counter narcotics activity. To this end, we helped design the Counter Narcotics Trust Fund which was officially launched at the Afghan Ministry of Finance on 29 October 2005. The fund will enable the Government of Afghanistan to raise funds from donors specifically for the CN effort and gives them a greater say over how this money is spent.
	In support of the Government of Afghanistan's efforts, the UK will spend 270 million over this and the next two financial years, including some 130 million on legal rural livelihoods and institutional development from the Department for International Development.

Afghanistan

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in identifying the opium supply route in Afghanistan.

Kim Howells: The identification of opium supply routes out of Afghanistan is based on seizure rates of opiates along the heroin trafficking routes. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime's 2004 Afghanistan Opium Survey showed that of Afghanistan's total opiate exports (500 metric tons of morphine and heroin and close to 100 metric tons of opium), about a quarter is exported via Central Asia (the Northern or Silk Route), but the bulk is still exported via Pakistan and Iran to Turkey and into the Balkans, (the Balkan Route). 90 per cent. of the drugs exported on the Northern Route are for the Russian market. Most of the opiates exported on the Balkan Route are destined for Europe. There is some evidence that the Caspian Route, from Turkmenistan across the Caspian Sea into the Caucasus, is increasingly being used to traffic drugs into Europe.

Afghanistan

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the estimated time scale is for eradicating poppy production in each region of Afghanistan; and what methods are being deployed to that end.

Kim Howells: Afghanistan has been the world's major supplier of illicit opium for a decade. It will take a long time to uproot something so deeply entrenched in Afghanistan's culture and economy. Without a strong state, a fully functioning judiciary or a properly trained and manned police force, Afghan capability to date has been limited.
	There is no simple answer to how long the Afghan counter narcotics effort will take. At the opening of the London Conference, President Karzai said
	In my view, and in the view of the United Nations that shares it with me, perhaps Afghanistan will need at least 10 years of a strong systematic consistent effort in eradication, in law enforcement and in the provision to the Afghan farmer of an alternative economy in order for us to be free of poppies by that time. So I would give it a decade, at least.
	It will certainly require a sustained effort by the Afghan Government and the international community.
	But progress is being made. Last year, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reported a 21 per cent. reduction in poppy cultivation from 131,000 hectares (ha) in 200304 to 104,000 ha in 200405. These overall percentages, however, mask significant variations between provinces. For example, Nangarhar (-96 per cent.), Badakshan (-53 per cent.) and Helmand (-10 per cent.) saw the most significant decreases, while other provinces, such as Balkh and Farah, saw increases. Progress was also made in 2005 with the establishment of a Ministry for Counter Narcotics in Afghanistan, the passage of vital counter narcotics legislation, the conviction of over 90 drug traffickers and the seizure of some 160 tonnes of opiates.
	The Government of Afghanistan has, with the support of the UK as designated partner nation for counter narcotics, recently reviewed and updated its National Drugs Control Strategy to ensure its policy approach is the right one. The strategy, which was launched at the London Conference, focuses on four key priorities: targeting the trafficker; building institutions; strengthening rural livelihoods; and reducing domestic demand. The strategy also sets out the basis for a targeted ground based eradication policy and highlights the importance of raising public awareness and improving international and regional co-operation on counter narcotics. The UK is spending over 270 million over the next three years in support of the strategy.

Afghanistan

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the estimated size is of the area dedicated to poppy production in each region of Afghanistan.

Kim Howells: The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) conducts an annual survey into the level of opium poppy cultivation and production in Afghanistan. In 2005, UNODC estimated a total of 104,000 hectares of land were under opium poppy cultivation, with the highest levels of cultivation seen in Helmand, Kandahar, Balkh, Farah and Badakshan provinces. Total production was estimated at 4,100 tonnes. These figures represent a 21 percent. reduction on cultivation and a 2.5 percent. reduction on production over 2004 figures. The smaller scale of the decrease in total production resulted from higher yields per hectare arising from good weather conditions and less disease. Full details, including the level of opium cultivation by province from 200205, can be found in the UNODC Afghanistan opium survey, November 2005, or on UNODC's website http://www.unodc.org.
	A final assessment of opium cultivation and production for the 200506 growing season will not be available until the end of the year.

Afghanistan

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the UK took over responsibility for controlling opium production in Afghanistan; and what progress has been made since then.

Kim Howells: The Government of Afghanistan is responsible for controlling opium production in Afghanistan. In April 2002, the UK took on G8 lead nation status for counter narcotics with responsibility for coordinating international activity in support of the Government of Afghanistan's counter narcotics campaign. Following endorsement of the Afghanistan compact at the London conference on 31 January-1 February, the UK remains fully committed to this work. We are spending 270 million over this and the next two financial years, including some 130 million on legal rural livelihoods and institutional development from the Department for International Development.
	While we do not underestimate the scale of the challenge, progress is being made. Since the end of 2004, we have seen the establishment of a Ministry for counter narcotics; a 21 percent. reduction in the area of land under opium poppy cultivation; the passage of vital counter narcotics legislation; the conviction of over 90 drug traffickers and an increase in drug related seizures. The UK has also supported the Government of Afghanistan's work to update its national drug control strategy (NDCS) which was approved by President Karzai in January 2006. We believe the updated NDCS represents a more sophisticated approach to tackling the drugs problem which will help the Government of Afghanistan make a greater impact on the trade.

Afghanistan

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government prefers destruction, licensing or substitution by other crops to tackle poppy production in Afghanistan; and what budget his Department has allocated to each of these alternatives.

Kim Howells: The UK believes that the Government of Afghanistan's recently updated national drug control strategy represents the best means of securing a sustainable reduction on the production and trafficking of opiates in Afghanistan. The strategy highlights four key priorities. These are: disrupting the drugs trade by targeting traffickers and their backers; strengthening and diversifying legal rural livelihoods; developing effective state institutions to combat drugs at the central and provincial level; reducing the demand for illicit drugs and treatment for problem drug users. The strategy also states that there is a role for targeted ground-based eradication where alternative livelihoods exist, in order to incentivise the shift away from poppy cultivation.
	The UK does not carry out eradication, but we do support Afghan eradication activity where alternative livelihoods exist. We have therefore provided support to the planning, monitoring and targeting work of the Government of Afghanistan's central eradication planning and monitoring cell. We have also funded a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime project to verify governor-led eradication and provided funding to support targeted eradication by the Afghan national police.
	On licensing of opium production, the Afghan Minister for counter narcotics has said:
	The poor security situation in the country means there can simply be no guarantee that opium will not be smuggled out of the country for the illicit narcotics trade abroad. Without an effective control mechanism, a lot of opium will still be refined into heroin for illicit markets in the West and elsewhere. We could not accept this.
	The UK agrees with and supports the Government of Afghanistan's position.
	We do not believe that licensing opium cultivation in Afghanistan is a realistic solution to the problems of the opium economy in Afghanistan. In the absence of a strong state presence throughout the country there is currently too high a risk of diversion of legally produced opium into illegal channels, and overall levels of illicit cultivation could increase as a result.
	Helping Afghan farmers develop viable commercial crops as feasible economic alternatives to poppy is an important part of the UK's support. But farmers also need access to credit, land and markets, alternative employment opportunities (on and off the farm) infrastructure such as irrigation and roads to help grow and transport produce; and government emergency mechanisms to ensure food security. The UK is supporting the Government of Afghanistan to deliver in all of these areas, to enforce the Afghan law against growing poppy and inject risk into the system through a credible drugs law enforcement and manual poppy field eradication threat. Only in this way will we make a sustainable impact on cultivation and production.
	The UK will spend over 270 million over this and the next two financial years in support of the national drugs control strategy. During this period, 130 million will be spent on legal rural livelihoods (including research into alternative crops) and institutional development by the Department for International Development. In 200506 the UK spent 6 million in support of Afghan eradication and related activity and 30 million in support of activity to target the trafficker (for law enforcement and criminal justice action) and the top end of the trade. We envisage that similar budgets will be allocated to these activities in 200608. The UK does not support licensing and no budget was allocated to this as a result.

Afghanistan

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much opium has been confiscated in Afghanistan in each of the last three years.

Kim Howells: There are no reliable records of opium seizures in Afghanistan before November 2004. The counter narcotics police of Afghanistan and the Afghan special narcotics force have seized approximately 165 tonnes of opium since this date.

Afghanistan

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in tackling and destroying opium processing facilities in Afghanistan.

Kim Howells: According to counter narcotics police of Afghanistan and Afghan special narcotics force figures, an estimated 317 drugs laboratories/sites in Afghanistan were destroyed between October 2004 and November 2005. There are no reliable records of the number of drugs laboratories/sites destroyed in Afghanistan before this time.

Afghanistan

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what financial assistance his Department (a) is providing and (b) plans to provide to the Afghan Government to tackle the problem of heroin production.

Kim Howells: On 5 September last year, I announced new UK funding for Afghan counter narcotics activity in a joint press conference with Afghan Counter Narcotics Minister Qaderi. In total, we will provide more than 270 million over the next three years (financial years 200506, 200607 and 200708). 130 million of the funding will be provided by the Department for International Development with the rest coming from other Government Departments including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Ministry of Defence and the Home Office. Of the 270 million, the UK will contribute at least 30 million to the Counter Narcotics Trust Fund, which was set up specifically to support the National Drugs Control Strategy. We announced this contribution at the London Conference on Afghanistan, along with several other partner nations. The fund will bring counter narcotics funding on budget; give the Afghans greater ownership over this important agenda; and ensure that assistance is targeted as effectively as possible.
	The funding will be spent on counter narcotics activity supporting the Government of Afghanistan in delivering their National Drugs Control Strategy. The strategy focuses on four key priorities: disrupting the drugs trade by targeting traffickers and their backers; strengthening and diversifying legal rural livelihoods; developing effective state institutions to combat drugs at the central and provincial level; and reducing the demand for illicit drugs and treatment of problem drug users.

Afghanistan

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements are in place for liaison between his Department and (a) UN Stabilisation forces and (b) Operation Enduring Freedom to deal with the opium problem in Afghanistan.

Kim Howells: There are no United Nations Stabilisation Forces in Afghanistan. The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is a UN-authorised NATO force designed to assist the Government of Afghanistan with the maintenance of security. ISAF's role in support of the Government of Afghanistan's counter narcotics campaign is set out in the counter narcotics annex of the NATO Operations Plan (OPLAN). NATO Ministers approved the revised OPLAN in December 2005. ISAF forces will be able to help with the provision of training to Afghan counter-narcotics forces and will when necessary provide support to their operations. They will also help the Afghan Government explain their policies to the Afghan people. ISAF forces will not take part in the eradication of opium poppy or in pre-planned and direct military action against the drugs trade. The British Embassy Drugs Team (BEDT) in Kabul works closely with HQ ISAF in deconflicting and informing the international military forces about counter narcotics activity.
	Military forces operating under Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) are also authorised to provide support to the Afghan counter narcotics campaign. BEDT again works closely with the US OEF military headquarters, CFC-A, based in Kabul, to encourage coalition forces, as well as ISAF, within means and capabilities, to support the Afghan Government's National Drug Control Strategy. Liaison is particularly close on support for the counter narcotics information campaign and for day-to-day support provided to Afghan counter narcotics forces through the thirteen coalition Provincial Reconstruction Teams based around the country.
	There is also a regular Afghan Government/UN/US sponsored forum in Kabul at which the five key pillars of Security Sector Reform (SSR) are discussed with representatives from the US (reform of the military), Germany (Police Reform), Italy (Judicial reform), Japan (disarmament and demobilisation) and the UK (counter narcotics). All five pillars of SSR are inter-connected and are significant in dealing holistically with the opium problem.

Belarus

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the British ambassador in Minsk about UK relations with Belarus.

Douglas Alexander: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and the British ambassador in Minsk have not had a recent discussion. However, our ambassador keeps the Department up-to-date with developments, is in constant touch with our embassies in neighbouring countries and our missions to the EU, OSCE and Council of Europe. He liaises closely with other EU missions in Minsk and meets regularly with officials in the Belarusian Government, outlining our disappointment at the deteriorating situation in Belarus at every opportunity. In line with our policy of supporting the democratic process and engaging with civil society we maintain good contacts with the opposition and I had a worthwhile bilateral discussion with Mr. Milinkevich, leader of the official opposition, at the last General Affairs and External Relations Council in Brussels.

Burma

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will assess the implications of the decision of the Burmese authorities to move the capital from Rangoon to Pyinmana with particular reference to (a) the implications for the governance of that country and (b) its relations with (i) the UK and (ii) the rest of the world; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave the hon. Member for Buckingham (John Bercow) on 15 November 2005, Official Report, columns 118081W, and the hon. Member for Hertsmere (James Clappison) on 17 November 2005, Official Report, column 1479W.

Cyprus

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the plans of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to designate 3,000 donums of land in occupied Morphou for tourist development and to grant 1,500 donums of Greek-Cypriot-owned land in Morphou to Turkish settlers.

Douglas Alexander: We are aware of plans to develop the Morphou district of northern Cyprus but not of plans to transfer 1,500 donums of land. While we maintain a dialogue with the Turkish Cypriot community on all aspects of the Cyprus settlement, we cannot control property development in the north. I continue to believe that the many difficult and complex property issues in Cyprus are likely only to be resolved as part of a comprehensive settlement.

Elections

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the merits of citizens of British overseas territories being able to take part in (a) Westminster and (b) European parliamentary elections.

Douglas Alexander: The Government have made no assessment of this kind.
	As the overseas territories are constitutionally not part of the United Kingdom, unlike the position between France and some of the French territories, British overseas territories citizens resident in a territory are not eligible to have representation in the Westminster Parliament or in the European Parliament. The only exception is Gibraltar, which is part of the European Union by virtue of article 299(4) of the EC treaty. Gibraltarians have the right to vote in the elections for the European Parliament as part of, and on the same terms as, the electorate of the South West England European parliamentary electoral region.

Extraordinary Rendition

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether it is the Government's policy to permit US flights to land and refuel in the UK without being required to (a) submit and (b) verify a list of passengers.

Kim Howells: The Immigration Service may require passenger information in respect of any person arriving in the United Kingdom by aircraft of any nationality, including transit passengers, members of the crew and others not seeking to enter the United Kingdom, in order to determine whether they are eligible for leave to enter. However it is not the practice of the Immigration Service to require the details of passengers unless they intend to disembark in the UK.

Falkland Islands/Argentina

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on relations between the Falkland Islands and Argentina.

Douglas Alexander: The Falkland Islands are a United Kingdom overseas territory and as such the United Kingdom Government are responsible for their international relations. The United Kingdom values its relationship with Argentina and wants it to be as constructive and as positive as possible. Argentine co-operation on important South Atlantic issues has an effect on the bilateral relationship as a whole.

Father Wenceslas Munyeshyaka

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the French Government to assist the Rwandan Government in its request for the extradition of Father Wenceslas Munyeshyaka.

Ian Pearson: None. The Rwandan Government has not asked the Government to make representations to the French Government with regard to the extradition of Father Wenceslas Munyeshyaka.

Iceland (Whaling Programme)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his discussions with the Icelandic Foreign Minister on 18 January on Iceland's whaling programme.

Ian Pearson: The UK's opposition to Iceland's whaling programme has been consistent and strong. In May 2005, the UK-led protests against Iceland's decision to take 39 minke whales for scientific reasons and we will continue to oppose any future whaling activities. The focus of the recent meeting between my right. hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and his Icelandic counterpart was Afghanistan and the Middle East. Whaling was not discussed.

India

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the attitude towards (a) Christian and (b) other minority religions by extremist Hindus in India; and if he will seek to use the EU-India Strategic Partnership to impress upon the Indian Government the need (i) for greater religious tolerance and (ii) to give equal rights to the Dalit community.

Kim Howells: We are aware of the alleged involvement of Hindu Extremist organisations in attacks against Christians and other minority religions in India and we condemn all instances where individuals are persecuted because of their beliefs. In January this year, Mr. V. V Augustine of the National Commission for Minorities visited Dang District where many attacks on minorities have occurred. Police officials assured him that they would uphold law and order during upcoming festivals and maintain a strict vigilance in all 312 villages of the district at all times. The Indian Minister of Home Affairs, Shivraj Patil, has written to Mr. Augustine to confirm that the Home Ministry will provide additional forces if required. Our High Commission will continue to follow this issue closely.
	As President of the EU, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister signed an EU-India Joint Action Plan during his visit to New Delhi in September. This identified areas where the EU and India agreed to co-operate and work together. One of these areas was human rights. The first meeting with the Indian side under the EU-India Joint Action Plan took place on 1 December 2005 in New Delhi. During the meeting, the issues of religious minorities and Dalits were raised. It is for the current EU presidency and the Indian Government to agree when the next formal set of dialogue will take place but we hope that this initial meeting might lead to a further, ad hoc dialogue between minorities experts from the EU and India.

India

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Indian Government to end the practice of using dancing bears for entertainment; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: This is an internal issue for the Indian Government to address. We welcome Indian Government initiatives to tackle the problem, in particular further implementation of The Indian Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, which prohibits anyone from possessing any animal listed as being at risk of extinction. We will continue to monitor the situation through our high commission in New Delhi.

Iran

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his meeting of 30 January 2006 with the Foreign Ministers of China, France, Germany, Russia, the US and the High Representative of the EU, how long he expects the extensive period of confidence-building required of Iran to be; what assurances are being sought from Iran; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The nature of Iran's nuclear activities; its long record of concealment and failure to be fully transparent with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); its many breaches of its obligations; and its refusal to take and sustain confidence building steps requested by the IAEA Board of Governors have all contributed to a lack of confidence among the international community that Iran's nuclear programme is, as it claims, for exclusively peaceful purposes.
	In August 2005, the E3/EU presented proposals covering long-term arrangements for Iran's nuclear programme. These stated that continued confidence building would be required over a significant period of time, and outlined ways in which Iran could build confidence, including by making a binding commitment not to pursue fuel cycle activities other than the construction and operation of light water power and research reactors. They suggested that a final agreement could be reviewed every 10 years.
	Iran left the negotiations in August 2005 when it unilaterally decided to restart uranium conversion activities, contrary to repeated requests by the IAEA board and in violation of the Paris Agreement, which had set out the framework for talks. E3/EU officials held an exploratory meeting with Iran in December 2005 to see if it would be possible to agree a basis for resuming negotiations. The E3/EU stated that it would be essential, inter alia, for Iran not to renege further on its commitment to suspend all enrichment related and reprocessing activities. Iran's subsequent decision to restart enrichment related activity was a further rejection of efforts to seek a diplomatic solution, and has aroused further suspicion of Iran's intentions. We hope that Iran will reinstate a full suspension of enrichment related and reprocessing activities, address in full the outstanding requests of the IAEA Board of Governors and return to negotiations on a long-term agreement.
	We welcome the resolution adopted by the IAEA Board of Governors on 4 February. At the board's request, the United Nations Security Council will now become involved, to reinforce the IAEA's authority. The decision was made necessary by Iran's failure to comply with requests made in previous board resolutions and its failure to take steps that would build confidence that its nuclear programme is for exclusively peaceful purposes. The resolution was backed by the great majority of the board's 35 members, and demonstrates the strength of the international community's determination to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons in the Middle East.

Iran

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Iran's nuclear programme.

Kim Howells: We welcome the resolution adopted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) board of governors on 4 February. The resolution was supported by the large majority of the board's 35 members, from across the regional groupings, and demonstrates the strength of the international community's determination to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons in the Middle East.
	At the board's request, the United Nations Security Council will now become involved, to reinforce the IAEA's authority. The board's decision was made necessary by Iran's failure to comply with requests made in previous board resolutions and its failure to take steps that would build confidence that its nuclear programme is for exclusively peaceful purposes.
	We hope that Iran will take this opportunity to comply immediately and in full with the board's requests, including by reinstating a full suspension of all uranium enrichment related and reprocessing activities and addressing all outstanding questions about its nuclear programme.

Iraq

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 20 December 2005, Official Report, column 2852W, on Iraq, whether (a) the Intelligence and Security Committee in 2003 and (b) the Butler Review had access to the same intelligence material on the Government's claim that Iraq sought to procure uranium from Niger.

Jack Straw: Both the Intelligence and Security Committee and Lord Butler's Review investigated this issue thoroughly and put their findings, and the basis on which they were made, in the public domain.

Jewish Festivals

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department did to (a) celebrate Hanukkah and (b) mark Yom Kippur in 2005.

Jack Straw: It is left to individual staff members to decide how to mark religious festivals. In line with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Diversity Policy, all line managers are encouraged to be flexible when considering leave requests for staff wishing to take time off to mark religious festivals.

Kosovo

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts concerning the final status of Kosovo.

Ian Pearson: We are in regular contact with other EU partners on Kosovo. Kosovo was discussed at the General Affairs External Relations Council on 30 January following the death of President Rugova of Kosovo.
	The EU was represented at the contact group plus ministerial which my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary chaired on 31 January. That meeting issued a statement which I am placing in the Library of the House.

Madagascar

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect on UK (a) trade with and (b) investment in Madagascar of the closure of the British Embassy.

Ian Pearson: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is not aware of any significant change in the pattern of British trade with or investment in Madagascar since the closure of the British embassy. The former embassy had only two British diplomatic staff, neither of whom had a specific commercial role.

Nuclear Weapons

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment the Government have made of the implications of Dr. A. Q. Kahn's visits to Myanmar for the proliferation of nuclear weapons; and what assessment he has made of the risk of transfer of Pakistani nuclear technology to the Myanmar regime.

Kim Howells: We have no evidence that Dr. A. Q. Khan visited Burma, but we are aware that Dr. A. Q. Khan's weapons of mass destruction proliferation network involved a wide range of businesses in a number of countries, acting outside both national and international controls. We are not aware of any transfer of Pakistani nuclear technology to Burma.

President Paul Kagame

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to invite His Excellency President Paul Kagame to visit the UK.

Ian Pearson: There are currently no plans for an official visit to the UK by President Paul Kagame. Ministers and senior British officials meet President Kagame on a regular basis in Rwanda to discuss matters of bilateral and regional interest. His last official visit was in November 2004.

Republic of Yemen

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of (a) the security situation and (b) the democratic process in the Republic of Yemen.

Kim Howells: We continuously monitor the security situation in Yemen, and review our assessment of it in response to developments. Our full assessment is set out in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) travel advice on the FCO website (www.fco.gov.uk). During my recent visit to Yemen, I discussed security with the Yemeni Government, and emphasised the importance of determined action against security threats.
	Yemen's presidential elections this year will be a test of its democratic system. We hope that it will be possible for independent monitors, including from the EU, to observe the electoral process. It is vital for the future of Yemen that the elections meet international standards.

Russia

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications of President Putin's recent warning of foreign Governments against trying to exert influence via non-governmental organisations in Russia.

Douglas Alexander: Our relationship with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Russia has consistently been one of partnership, not control. We have supported their work with total openness and transparency, in line with publicly stated objectives. We welcomed President Putin's comments last week when he acknowledged the importance for Russia of effective NGOs independent of Governments.

Sierra Leone

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the political situation in Sierra Leone.

Ian Pearson: Sierra Leone is a fragile post-conflict society that is making progress, with the assistance of the international community, towards consolidating security and governance reforms to lay the foundations of a more secure future.
	The political climate is set to intensify in the run-up to presidential and legislative elections in 2007. The ruling Sierra Leone Peoples party and the main opposition party, the All Peoples Congress, have been joined in the contest by a new political force, the Popular Movement for Democratic Change. The UK is assisting in preparations for the elections, to ensure that they are free, fair and credible. For instance, we are giving 3 million to assist with strengthening of the national electoral commission, and electoral boundary delimitation.
	But after 11 years of civil war, Sierra Leone's institutions and governance remain weak. The UK is helping to develop democratic political institutions, including support to the judiciary and police through a 25 million project, as well as assistance to the civil service reform programme, and further wide-ranging governance and anti- corruption support.

Uzbekistan

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the recent arrest and trial of the Uzbekistan opposition leader Sanjar Umarov for alleged economic crimes.

Douglas Alexander: Sanjar Umarov was detained on 22 October 2005. He is being held in Tashkent city prison on charges of large scale embezzlement related to his business affairs. On 26 October, when Umarov's lawyer first gained access to his client, he reported that Umarov was naked in his cell and incoherent. On subsequent visits Umarov was able to talk to his lawyer in the presence of the investigation team. Umarov had requested medical treatment for high blood pressure, but has not had an independent medical assessment to date.
	Umarov's trial began on 30 January. He faces nine charges. He is accused of misappropriating around $3 million worth of oil between 200304 through his company, Neftgaztrans, stealing nearly $240,000 worth of petrol from a Tashkent garage, and tax evasion to the tune of $2.9 million. Umarov denied each of the charges and said that he could not remember anything between 23 October and 1 November. He has denied statements which the prosecution said he made during that period.
	Our embassy in Tashkent is monitoring the trial and remains in close touch with Umarov's family and lawyer.

WORK AND PENSIONS

We Can Help

Malcolm Rifkind: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total cost of the production and distribution of the We Can Help DVD has been to date.

Anne McGuire: The total cost is 156,579, including VAT (133,259 excluding VAT).
	The DVD was produced to promote Jobcentre Plus disability services. The product is flexible to allow information to be given in Welsh, ethnic minority languages, British Sign Language and sub-titles. It also provides audio-description for those with visual impairments.

Benefit Agencies (Staff Redundancies)

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many (a) Disability and Carers Service, (b) Child Support Agency, (c) Pensions Service and (d) JobCentre Plus staff have been made redundant under the Government's latest spending review in (i) Wales and (ii) each constituency in Wales; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many (a) Disability and Carers Service, (b) Pensions Service, (c) Jobcentre Plus and (d) Child Support Agency staff in (i) Wales and (ii) each constituency in Wales are expected to be made redundant under the Government's latest spending review in (A) 200506 and (B) 200607; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: There have been no compulsory redundancies in any of the Department's businesses in Wales as a result of the efficiency programme announced in the 2004 Spending Review. While detailed work force plans continue to be developed, at this time, no compulsory redundancies are planned to be made in Wales.
	The planned reduction in staff numbers is being largely managed through normal staff turnover, controlling recruitment and promotions, and re-deploying staff to fill vacancies. Compulsory redundancy will only be used as a last resort when all other measures have been considered.
	The Department has and will continue to run a limited number of voluntary early release and voluntary retirement schemes where these are shown to support operational requirements and be cost effective. Over the spending review period to date, 302 members of staff (equating to 270 Full Time Equivalents) have left under these schemes in Wales.

Benefit Fraud

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost of (a) fraud and (b) error in (i) incapacity benefit and (ii) severe disability allowance since 1997;
	(2)  how many staff are employed by his Department to investigate incapacity benefit and severe disability allowance fraud (a) in total and (b) per 100,000 recipients of that allowance; and what his latest estimate is of the total level of incapacity benefit and severe disability allowance fraud in each of the last six years.

James Plaskitt: The Department's benefit fraud investigators deal with allegations of fraud relating to all benefits administered by The Department for Work and Pensions. We do not employ a specific number of staff to investigate incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance fraud.
	The available information on the level of fraud in incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance is in the following table.
	
		Results of incapacity benefit review 2001: overpayments
		
			  Category of overpayment  Monetary value ( million) Percentage of incapacity benefit expenditure 
		
		
			 Fraud (24)(25)19 (24)(25)0.3 
			 Customer error 16 0.3 
			 Official error 22 0.4 
		
	
	(24) Up to.
	(25) This is an upper limit, as insufficient cases of fraud were uncovered in the review to enable a robust central estimate to be made.
	
		Results of incapacity benefit review 2001: underpayments
		
			 Category of overpayment Monetary value ( million) Percentage of expenditure 
		
		
			 Customer error 15 0.2 
			 Official error 9 0.1 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Results from a national benefit review of fraud and error in incapacity benefit were published in 2001. The estimates made relate to the period April 2000 to March 2001.
	2. There has been no equivalent review of fraud and customer error in severe disablement allowance.
	Estimates of official error in incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance are produced each year. Previous results were carried out using a different methodology and are not comparable. The available information is in the following table.
	
		Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance: official error overpayments
		
			  million 
			  Total IB SDA 
		
		
			 April 2001 to March 2002 43 32 11 
			 April 2002 to March 2003 43 39 4 
			 April 2003 to March 2004 53 52 2 
			 April 2004 to March 2005 104 (26)100 5 
		
	
	(26) These estimates are subject to wide margins of error. Our best estimate of IB overpayments for 200405 includes a further amount of around 20 million due to incorrectness types not captured under methodology in earlier years. The components may not add up to the total as all figures have been rounded to the nearest million.
	
		Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance: official error underpayments
		
			  million 
			  Total IB IB credits SDA 
		
		
			 April 2002 to March 2003 26 16 9 1 
			 April 2003 to March 2004 23 13 6 4 
			 April 2004 to March 2005 36 21 10 5 
		
	
	Note:
	These estimates are subject to wide margins of error. The components may not add up to the total as all figures have been rounded to the nearest million.

Benefit Fraud

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what sanctions are faced by individuals from other EU member states who are found to be fraudulently claiming (a) jobseeker's allowance and (b) housing benefit.

James Plaskitt: Anyone committing benefit fraud in the UK is subject to the relevant legislation and criminal laws governing action that can be taken against them. Individuals from EU member states are subject to the same sanctions as British citizens found to be committing benefit fraud involving jobseeker's allowance, housing benefits and any other benefits administered by the Department for Work and Pensions.
	The sanctions that anyone committing benefit fraud can face will range from administrative caution, administrative penalty or prosecution.

Benefits

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many home visits his staff made to benefit (a) claimants and (b) recipients in (i) 200304 and (ii) 200405; and how many such visits his staff expect to make in each of the next two years.

Margaret Hodge: The available information is on the tables.
	
		Jobcentre Plus home visits made by staff to claimant/recipients
		
			  200304 200405 200506 200607 200708 
		
		
			 Gateway intervention(27) 131,040 75,406 18,232   
			 Caseload intervention(27) 209,421 176,971 85,196   
			 Customer compliance(28)299,699 305,693 
			 Core visits(29) 169,963 143,130 145,850 149,243 151,199 
			 Total 510,424 395,507 249,278 448,942 456,892 
		
	
	(27) Gateway and caseload interventions are performed as part of customer compliance activity from 200607.
	(28) Customer compliance figures for 200708 are forecasted based on 200607 calculations and the trend of claims/caseload for income support/jobseeker's allowance. Approx 200,000 cases per annum previously handled by Fraud Investigation Service will be actioned by customer compliance officers from 200607. Customer compliance activity is always intended to take place face-to-face with the customer, although not necessarily via a home visit. An assumption has been made for these figures that 50 percent will take place in a Jobcentre Plus office while the remaining 50 percent will be carried out by visit.
	(29) Core visits figures for 200607 and 200708 are forecasted based on the previous three years actual data and the volume trend of claims for income support/jobseeker's allowance.
	Notes:
	1. Figures are not kept on the number of home visits made by Fraud Investigation Service investigators.
	2. Gateway interventions are visits made before benefit paid based on a risk priority list.
	3. Caseload interventions are visits made during the lifetime of a claim based on a risk priority list.
	4. Customer compliance visits are made to a customer where there is alleged fraud/error but a sanction/prosecution is unlikely.
	5. Core visits usually have a customer service angle. Examples are appointee visits and delivery of overpayment letters.
	
		Pension service effective home visits
		
			  
		
		
			 April 2003March2004 420,237 
			 April 2004March 2005 582,790 
			 April 2005December 2005 661,808 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures for future years are not available but the projected forecast is that the current visit volumes will be maintained.

Benefits

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Wales are (a) entitled to council tax benefits and (b) receiving council tax benefits; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The latest available information on unclaimed council tax benefit is in Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take Up in 2003/2004, a copy of which is in the Library.
	As at August 2005 there were 277,000 households in Wales receiving council tax benefit.

Child Support

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the 10 largest total (a) compensation and (b) maladministration payments made by the Child Support Agency to a single individual, including separate payments made in relation to a single case requiring compensation, have been since May 1997; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 5 December 2005
	The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Mr. Stephen Geraghty. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Stephen Geraghty
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what ten largest total (a) compensation and (b) maladministration payments made by the Child Support Agency to a single individual including separate payments made in relation to a single case requiring compensation are since May 1997; and if he will make a statement.
	The Agency does not hold sufficiently robust information to give you precisely the information you requested. I apologise for this but can give you information on the ten highest financial redress payments awarded due to maladministration between the period 1 December 2001 to 10 November 2005.
	The table below contains the available information;
	
		
			  Amount () 
		
		
			 1. 41,000.00 
			 2. 27,961.66 
			 3. 22,160.08 
			 4. 19,965.36 
			 5. 19,056.49 
			 6. 18,980.90 
			 7. 16,000.00 
			 8. 14,905.97 
			 9. 14,732.40 
			 10. 14,648.55 
		
	
	As I explained in a previous response to you, in the Answer of 15th November Official Report column 1152W on the Child Support Agency, maladministration and compensatory payments in excess of 10,000 represent only a small fraction (just over 0.1%) of the total number of such payments made by the Agency:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Total number of payments made since 1 December 2001 35,558 
			 Under 1,000 33,227 
			 Between 1,000 and 9,999 2,289 
			 Between 10,000 and 49,999 42 
			 Over 50,000 0 
		
	
	I hope you find this helpful.

Citizens Juries

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on how many occasions his Department consulted citizens juries on departmental policies in the last five years; in how many of those consultations the recommendations of the citizens' jury differed from existing departmental policy; and on how many occasions departmental policy was changed to reflect the recommendations of the citizens' jury.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions was formed in June 2001 from the Department of Social Security and parts of the former Department for Education and Employment including the Employment Service.
	Since its inception, the Department for Work and Pensions has not used the citizen's jury method to consult on its departmental policies.

Civil Partnership (Benefits)

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many single people receiving (a) income support and (b) pension credit live with another single person of the same sex; whether all such benefit recipients have been informed of their obligation under the Civil Partnership Act 2004 to inform the appropriate benefit office if they are living together as if they were civil partners; what guidance has been promulgated on the meaning of that term; and if he will ensure that those who fail to report their relationship are not subject to penalties or recovery of consequent overpayment of benefits.

Anne McGuire: There is very little information about same-sex couples in this country. The labour force survey suggests that there are about 50,000 cohabiting same-sex couples in the UK. The Department does not have any statistical information about individuals currently receiving income related benefits who are living with someone of the same sex as though they were civil partners.
	The Department has conducted a targeted publicity campaign intended to ensure that all benefit recipients are aware of the need to advise the relevant benefit office as soon as they can on or after 5 December 2005 if they are living together as if they were civil partners. This has included publication of a leaflet 'Getting it right' which has been distributed to all Jobcentre Plus offices, pension centres, pension local services and Citizens Advice Bureaux. Additionally it has been sent to Doctors' surgeries and other organisations including the Terrence Higgins Trust, the Department for Constitutional Affairs, libraries and local councils. The leaflet has also been placed on the DWP internet site.
	Our policy is not to ask for repayments from someone who has acted reasonably but has failed to appreciate that, although they have not entered into a civil partnership, their benefit is affected because they now form a same-sex couple. Departmental guidance has been amended to reflect this policy and the changes in the law. However, if a customer who is a civil partner or who lives with another person as though they were civil partners knows that this could affect their benefit they must tell the office that deals with their claim. If they fail to do so and they receive too much benefit they may be required to refund the amount that has been overpaid to them.

Departmental Staff (Castle Point)

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff employed by his Department live in Castle Point.

Anne McGuire: There are currently 91 staff employed by the Department for Work and Pensions living in Castle Point.

Equity

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with Equity Trade Union about the deficit in the opera singers' pension scheme; and what plans he has to assist in rescuing the scheme.

Stephen Timms: My right hon. Friend Secretary of State and I have not had any discussions, though I have been in correspondence with Equity about the opera singers' pension scheme.
	The Government are committed to protecting the pension funds of individual workers. We have put in place a framework to protect members of final salary pension schemes, and a major part in this has been to establish the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) to protect the members of eligible final salary pension scheme where, after April 2005, a sponsoring employer becomes insolvent and the scheme is under funded to the extent that it cannot afford to pay at PPF compensation levels.
	It is not our policy to provide financial support to individual pension schemes on an ad hoc basis.

Financial Assistance Scheme

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will review the current rules of eligibility for the Financial Assistance Scheme before 200708.

Stephen Timms: As Government funding is fixed for the current spending review period up to and including 200708, current plans only cover those who were within three years of their scheme's normal retirement age, or above, on 14 May 2004. As with all our spending plans, funding for FAS will need to be reviewed in the next spending review, alongside other spending priorities.

Financial Assistance Scheme

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effects of changes in annuity returns on the ability of the financial assistance scheme to achieve the best outcomes for members of eligible schemes.

Stephen Timms: These will have no effect on assistance levels as qualifying members of eligible schemes will receive assistance that will top up their scheme pension to a level broadly equivalent to 80 percent. of their core pensions benefits, subject to a cap and a de minimis rule.

Financial Assistance Scheme

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the status is of the guaranteed minimum pension rights of those individuals covered by the Financial Assistance Scheme.

Stephen Timms: Qualifying members of qualifying schemes will receive assistance that will top up their scheme pension to a level broadly equivalent to 80 per cent. of their core pension benefits, subject to a cap and a de minimis rule. Qualifying members' core pension benefits include any GMP rights accrued during pensionable service in relation to the qualifying scheme.

Financial Assistance Scheme

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of the numbers of people that will be eligible for the Financial Assistance Scheme under the existing rules.

Stephen Timms: We estimate that up to 15,000 members within three years of their scheme pension age, or above their scheme pension age at 14 May 2004, may benefit from the Financial Assistance Scheme topping up their pensions to around 80 per cent. of their core pension benefits.

Fraud (Benefits/Pensions)

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the change in the levels of fraudulent transactions involving benefits and pensions in each year since the removal of order books.

James Plaskitt: The information is not yet available from which to make such an estimate, as payment of benefit by order book ceased on 31 May 2005.

Housing

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to encourage the London borough of Haringey to make use of its discretionary housing payment funding to help those facing significant housing benefit shortfalls, rent arrears, eviction and homelessness in the borough.

James Plaskitt: The purpose of the discretionary housing payment scheme is to assist those entitled to housing benefit who have a shortfall in meeting their rent and who the local authority consider are in need of further financial assistance. Any award is entirely at the discretion of individual local authorities and must be considered on a case by case basis. Guidance was issued at the introduction of the scheme to all local authorities.

Housing

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much discretionary housing payment funding the London borough of Haringey was granted in each year since 200102; and how much of each year's grant was returned unused.

James Plaskitt: The information is in the table.
	
		Discretionary housing payment funding granted to the London borough of Haringey
		
			  Granted() Unused() 
		
		
			 200102 152,896.00 119,763.00 
			 200203 164,456.00 101,291.00 
			 200304 142,970.00 22,756.00 
			 200405(30) 172,751.00 Nil 
		
	
	(30) 200405 is the latest year on which data is available.

Housing

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he had with the London borough of Islington on making use of discretionary housing payment funding available in 200405.

James Plaskitt: No discussions took place as the award of discretionary housing payments in 200405 was entirely at the discretion of the London borough of Islington.

Jobcentre Plus

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the (a) average and (b) maximum wait was for customers to be called back by Jobcentre Plus contact centres when trying to make a benefit application in each (i) week and (ii) month since 1 May; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the average waiting time for processing a jobseeker's allowance application was in each (a) week and (b) month since 1 May; how many applications have taken more than 20 days to process; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 9 February 2006
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your two questions. Firstly, what the (a) average and (b) maximum wait was for customers to be called back by Jobcentre Plus contact centres when trying to make a benefit application in each (i) week and (ii) month since 1 May 2005; and if he will make a statement. Secondly, what the average waiting time for processing a Jobseeker's Allowance application was in each (a) week and (b) month since 1 May 2005; how many applications have taken more than 20 days to process; and if he will make a statement. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	In answer to your first question please see the table below. The average number of days referred to is the average number across the whole Contact Centre network, and the maximum is the longest time from any Contact Centre within the network. This data is only available from August, and is recorded as actual days.
	
		
			   2005 (W/C) Average number of days booking ahead (call-back wait time) Maximum number of days booking ahead (call-back wait time) 
		
		
			 15 August 4.2 8 
			 22 August 4.2 9 
			 29 August 4.2 11 
			 5 September 5.0 11 
			 12 September 5.2 14 
			 19 September 4.8 13 
			 26 September 4.8 14 
			 03 October 4.8 22 
			 10 October 4.4 13 
			 17 October 3.3 7 
			 24 October 3.1 6 
			 31 October 2.3 5 
			 7 November 2.4 5 
			 14 November 1.6 4 
			 21 November 0.8 4 
			 28 November 1.2 4 
			 5 December 0.9 3 
			 12 December 1.2 3 
			 19 December 1.0 2 
			 26 December 0.7 2 
		
	
	In answer to your second question, the measuring system for Jobseeker's Allowance claims is based on monthly average clearance times. The table below contains the available data.
	
		2005
		
			  Actual average clearance time 
		
		
			 May 12.9 
			 June 13.1 
			 July 13.5 
			 August 14.1 
			 September 14.7 
			 October 15.4 
			 November 15.6 
			 December 14.7 
			 Year to Date 14.1 
		
	
	We do not record weekly clearance times, nor the number of applications which have taken more than 20 days to process and it is not possible to obtain this information.
	The roll out of Jobcentre Plus and, in particular the new claims process supported by the Customer Management System (CMS), is a major undertaking. Inevitably this has impacted on JSA clearance times. Whilst the precise nature and degree of the issue varies according to geographical location and stage of roll out, the major issues are as follows:
	End to end business processes: the new process we have introduced represents a transformation to the way we deliver our services and require our staff to operate;
	Staff recruitment and training: contact centres in particular have faced the difficult task of recruiting and training a new workforce, often with little or no prior experience in the business and, therefore, of benefit issues. This is taking time to develop although underpinning learning and development products are in place;
	IT system performance: CMS has been implemented in tandem with Jobcentre Plus rollout and initially some problems were encountered in terms of speed, capacity and reliability of the system. A series of technical releases earlier this year addressed these issues and CMS now performs well and to agreed service levels;
	Efficiency challenge: at the same time as we are introducing significant change to the way we deliver our services we are we are implementing a major efficiency programme to deliver the required headcount savings in the Spending Review 2004 settlement.
	With any change of this size there are always difficulties as the systems and processes bed in. This has led to some backlogs building up and a lengthening in the average time it takes to process claims.
	Because clearance times have been rising in some areas, a task force has been set up to develop a national action plan that coordinates and builds on action that has been taking place locally. The plan will cover a number of issues.
	The task force will use the plan to monitor progress and improvements in performance and to ensure the best possible practice.
	I hope this is helpful.

New Deal

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average cost is per person helped into a job by the new deal for disabled people (a) through Jobcentre Plus and (b) through other providers.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 23 January 2006
	The new deal for disabled people services are supplied by private and voluntary organisations who provide support for disabled people. Individuals can be referred to the programme through a range of sources including Jobcentre Plus.
	The average cost of helping a person into work through new deal for disabled people is 2,180 1 .
	1 Source: Department for Work and Pensions Finance Division
	Notes:
	1. Expenditure data excludes administrative costs.
	2. Information is provided to March 2005 as this is the latest available date for confirmed expenditure figures.

Pensions

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people who would claim one per cent. tax relief in (a) the initial year and (b) subsequent years if the proposed National Pension Savings Scheme were implemented.

Stephen Timms: The Government are in the process of examining the recommendations made by the Pensions Commission in detail. This includes recommendations on the National Pension Savings Scheme (NPSS). At this stage, nothing is ruled in and nothing is ruled out. The Pensions Commission made an assumption in their report that approximately seven million people would be in the NPSS, based on an 80 per cent. participation rate for those earning above the Lower Earnings Threshold (12,100 in 200506), and a 65 per cent. participation rate for those earning between the Primary Threshold (4,888 in 200506) and the Lower Earnings Threshold. In developing our proposals we will be evaluating those assumptions.

Sunbeds

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on Health and Safety Executive guidelines to (a) operators and (b) users of sunbed tanning equipment.

Anne McGuire: HSE guidance on use of tanning equipment is contained in leaflet INDG209, Controlling Health Risks from the use of UV Tanning Equipment, issued in 1995. It was produced in conjunction with the Department of Health after wide consultation and remains very relevant. It is available either as a free leaflet or from the HSE website. It contains advice for both operators and users of tanning equipment.

Sunbeds

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints the Health and Safety Executive received about (a) staffed and (b) non-staffed sunbed tanning salons in 200405; and what the nature of the complaints was.

Anne McGuire: HSE has received no complaints as enforcement responsibility for sunbed tanning salons is allocated to local authorities to whom any complaints would be directed. HSE does not have direct access to local authority records and so cannot determine how many such complaints have been made to them.

Sunbeds

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many accidents involving sunbeds have been reported to the Health and Safety Executive in each year since 1995.

Anne McGuire: HSE recording systems do not allow these data to be extracted from our records. Local authorities are allocated enforcement responsibility for the great majority of sunbeds.

Sunbeds

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many inspections the Health and Safety Executive has made of (a) staffed and (b) unstaffed sunbed tanning retail outlets in each year since 1995; and what the average interval between inspections has been over the period.

Anne McGuire: The Health and Safety Executive is not responsible for the inspection of sunbed retail tanning outlets. This is a local authority responsibility.

Sunbeds

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance has been issued by the Health and Safety Executive to unstaffed coin-operated sunbed tanning salons on appropriate levels of customer (a) security and (b) privacy.

Anne McGuire: HSE guidance focuses on the health impact of exposure to radiation, and does not cover appropriate levels of customer security or privacy.

Winter Fuel Payments

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of eligible pensioners have received the winter fuel payment in each year since 2003.

Stephen Timms: We cannot provide an exact estimate of the number of people eligible for a winter fuel payment without establishing their circumstances. A person may be ineligible for various reasons such as serving a custodial sentence, in hospital receiving free in-patient treatment for more than 52 weeks, or subject to immigration control. The vast majority of people entitled to a winter fuel payment are paid automatically as we hold their details on our benefit systems. In the winters of 200304 and 200405 we made over 11.4 million payments and expect to make around 11.5 million payments this winter.

HEALTH

3G Mobile Telephones

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department has evaluated on the effects on health of 3G mobile telephones.

Caroline Flint: The Health Protection Agency's radiation protection division (HPA-RPD) periodically evaluates the scientific research relating to mobile phone technology and health including that relevant to third generation (3G) mobile phones. The Stewart report in 2000 comprehensively reviewed the scientific literature and concluded that
	the balance of evidence to date suggests that exposures below [international] guidelines do not cause health effects to the general population.
	More recently, Mobile Phones and Health 2004, reiterated the Stewart report's conclusions noting that
	there is a lack of hard information showing that the mobile phone systems in use are damaging to health.
	Both the above reports recommended a precautionary approach to the use of mobile phone technology pending the availability of more robust scientific research results. The reports are available on the HPA's website at www.hpa.org.uk/radiation.
	The widespread use of mobile phones and the development of newer technologies mean that the possibility of health effects should be continually monitored. Following the results in 2003 of research on 3G base station exposures apparently showing a health effect, the mobile telecommunications and health research (MTHR) programme in this country is now supporting a study at the university of Essex into the symptoms experienced by 3G signals on volunteers (www.mthr.org.uk).
	All mobile phones and base stations in this country comply with the international guidelines. Measurements undertaken both by the HPA and by Ofcom (www.ofcom.org.uk) have consistently shown that exposures to radio signals from base stations, including those from 3G stations, are lower than the international guidelines.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many accident and emergency departments are (a) scheduled and (b) proposed for closure; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The Department does not routinely collect and hold centrally operational management information on proposals to close wards or capacity.
	National health service bodies are under a duty to consult local authority overview and scrutiny committees on any plans to make substantial changes to NHS services. Currently there is one referral from overview and scrutiny committees being considered by the Secretary of State. This referral is not connected to accident and emergency services.

Alcohol Misuse

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 16 January 2006, Official Report, column 1055W, on alcohol misuse, when she expects to award the contract to run a programme of pilots for alcohol screening and brief interventions.

Caroline Flint: The screening and brief intervention trailblazers are part of our active policy work in the area of alcohol misuse. No decision on the award of contracts is expected until the 200607 financial year.

Ambulance Services

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received regarding plans to regionalise ambulance services provision in East Sussex; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The consultation for the proposed configuration of national health service ambulance trusts in England is being led by strategic health authorities (SHAs). SHAs will coordinate consultation locally and ensure that relevant authorities and interested parties are able to express their views. A full analysis of the responses received by the SHAs and the Department will be undertaken at the end of the consultation. The consultation will conclude on 22 March 2006.

Ambulance Services

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on plans to regionalise ambulance services in East Sussex.

Caroline Flint: Configuration of NHS Ambulance Trusts in England: Consultation Document sets out the proposed new ambulance trusts on which we are currently consulting. This includes the proposal for a new trust (referred to in the document as South East A) which would comprise the areas covered by the current Sussex, Kent and Surrey ambulance trusts, if the proposals are agreed. However, no decision has been made, or will be, until the consultation has concluded.
	A copy of Configuration of NHS Ambulance Trusts in England: Consultation Document is available in the Library. A copy of my ministerial statement on this consultation, dated 14 December 2005, Official Report, column 152WS is also available in the Library.

Ambulance Services

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact that the merger of Gloucestershire Ambulance Service NHS Trust with Avon and Wiltshire ambulance trusts will have on emergency coverage in Forest of Dean constituency.

Caroline Flint: The merger of Gloucestershire Ambulance Service National Health Service Trust with Avon and Wiltshire ambulance trusts is part of wider process to create fewer, larger ambulance trusts across England. This is intended to reduce management costs and divert savings to front-line services. This is also intended to create teams capable of meeting rising demands by developing new ways of working for community paramedic and emergency care practitioner services which could be particularly beneficial for rural areas such as the Forest of Dean.

Ambulance Services

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on Gloucestershire Ambulance Service NHS Trust's co-responder scheme.

Caroline Flint: The Department acknowledges the valuable support that community responders offer to ambulance services locally. Clinical evidence proves conclusively that early defibrillation and resuscitation saves more lives, and therefore co-responders trained in life support, first aid and equipped with defibrillators help to ensure that patients receive advanced life support as soon as possible, improving outcomes for those patients.
	It is a local matter for ambulance trusts to decide whether or how they use community volunteer responders or other schemes such as community paramedics, in conjunction with the range of ambulance vehicles to ensure all patients get the most appropriate and timely response.

Ashford Hospital

David Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the progress of negotiations between Capio Health Care and the Ashford and St. Peters hospitals NHS trust for an independent treatment centre at Ashford hospital (Middlesex).

Caroline Flint: holding answer 6 February 2006
	Agreement in principle has been reached between Capio Healthcare UK and sponsors regarding the provision of an independent sector treatment centre at the Ashford hospital. Legal negotiations are now taking place to proceed towards financial close expected by the end of March 2006.

Bedside Telephones/Entertainment Systems

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact on NHS patients on low incomes of charged-for bedside telephone and entertainment systems; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The new bedside telephone and entertainment systems represent an additional and enhanced service to what already exists, and consequently attract a charge. Access to free televisions in day rooms and hospital payphones still exist as an alternative.
	Discounts apply for some patient groups, such as the elderly and long-term sick, some of whom are patients on low incomes. However, there are no automatic exemption arrangements for patients on low incomes.

Bedside Telephones/Entertainment Systems

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if she will reduce call charges to patients for the use of hospital bedside telephones by providing for the NHS to pay for some or all of the service;
	(2)  if she will take steps to reduce the cost of using bedside telephones in hospitals.

Jane Kennedy: I refer my hon. Friend to the ministerial statement made on 19 January 2006, Official Report, column 33WS.

Blood Transfusions

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the cost to the NHS of (a) an autologous blood transfusion and (b) an ordinary blood transfusion;
	(2)  how many operations have been performed in which an autologous blood transfusion was carried out in each region in each of the last three years.

Caroline Flint: The Chief Medical Officer's national blood transfusion committee (NBTC) promotes and encourages the safe and appropriate use of blood. This includes looking at alternatives to blood transfusions using techniques such as intra-operative cell salvage. The NBTC does not recommend pre-deposit autologous donation except in special circumstances, for example where a patient has multiple rare or multiple antibodies.
	We do not have data on the cost of intra-operative cell salvage to the national health service. The National Blood Service, part of NHS Blood and Transplant currently charges hospitals 114.71 for a pre-deposit autologous donation. This charge reflects the cost associated with the collection and testing of the blood and not any costs a hospital may incur through using pre-deposit autologous donation.
	The Department does not collect information on the number of autologous blood transfusion carried out in hospitals.
	In this current financial year, 200506, the cost to hospitals of a standard unit of red cells is 131.80.

Blood Transfusions

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many units of blood were obtained by the blood transfusion service in the last three years.

Caroline Flint: The National Blood Service (NBS), part of NHS Blood and Transplant, is responsible for the collection and supply of blood in England and north Wales. The NBS collected the following amount of blood in the last three financial years:
	
		
			 Financial year Units of blood collected 
		
		
			 200203 2,332,099 
			 200304 2,295,869 
			 200405 2,155,409 
		
	
	This reduction in blood collection reflects a reduction in the amount of blood required, largely due to better blood transfusion practices.

Breast Cancer

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department is taking to ensure that every woman newly diagnosed in England with early stage breast cancer is tested for HER2 status.

Rosie Winterton: Professor Mike Richards, the National Cancer director, is working with cancer networks to ensure that testing arrangements are put in place to enable women who require it to be tested for HER2 status. This work is ongoing.

Breast Cancer

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of newly diagnosed women with early stage breast cancer (a) in England and (b) living in the Northern Cancer Network area were prospectively tested for HER2 positivity in the latest period for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not centrally collected.

Breastfeeding

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has for a breastfeeding awareness week in England in 2006.

Caroline Flint: The Department is committed to supporting and promoting breastfeeding as the best form of nutrition for infants. National breastfeeding awareness week will be held from 14 to 20 May 2006.

Catalytic Converters

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment she has made of the possible health implications arising from the use of monomolecular layers of platinum, with particular reference to catalytic converters.

Caroline Flint: The possible effects of platinum compounds emitted by vehicles fitted with catalytic converters have been considered by both the Committee on the Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) and the Committee on Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP). Both committees concluded that emissions of allergenic platinum compounds were unlikely. COMEAP commented that adverse reactions might conceivably arise in those already sensitised by other, higher exposures. Details are available in the COT/COC/COM annual report for 1996 and in the COMEAP annual report for 1994.

Cervical Smear Tests

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she has received the formal options appraisal of reducing waiting times for the results of cervical smear tests from the university of Sheffield; if she will place a copy of the appraisal in the Library; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: A draft version of the options appraisal for reducing waiting times for the results of cervical screening tests was delivered to the Department on 16 January 2006. The advisory committee on cervical screening met on 18 January to discuss the report, and their views have been passed to the authors of the report to consider. A copy of the final version of the options appraisal will be placed in the Library.

Crack Cocaine

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to ensure that frontline staff in (a) health care and (b) social services have adequate education and training concerning crack cocaine use and treatment.

Caroline Flint: The National Treatment Agency (NTA) has produced a resource pack for treatment providers on crack cocaine treatment, in collaboration with COCA, a stimulant-specialist organisation. The NTA also commissioned training to accompany the resource.
	The drugs and alcohol national occupational standards (DANOS) specify the standards of performance that people in the drugs and alcohol field should be working to. They also describe the knowledge and skills workers need in order to perform to the required standard. The DANOS standards on service delivery give guidance on the scope of what competence-based training should cover, including crack, cocaine and other stimulant use.

Diabetics (Eye Tests)

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions her Department has had with (a) patient groups and (b) clinicians on regular eye tests for diabetics.

Rosie Winterton: The national service framework for diabetes has a specific target of screening everyone at risk of diabetic retinopathy, and ensuring they are treated, by the end of 2007. Patient representatives and clinicians have played an important role on the national diabetic retinopathy screening project advisory group set up to steer the development of the screening programme.
	Free sight tests on the national health service are available to people with diabetes and we recommend people with diabetes have their eyes tested every year.

Drug Treatment Programmes

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many problem drug users have participated in drug treatment programmes in each of the last five years.

Caroline Flint: The numbers in treatment figures for the past two years are shown on the table.
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 200304 125,545 
			 200405 160,450 
		
	
	The 199899 baseline against which these figures are calculated is 85,000. The Department's public service agreement is to double the numbers in treatment between 1998 and 2008.
	The National Treatment Agency introduced a revised and more accurate methodology for counting the numbers in treatment, in October 2004. Figures are not available for the years 19992000, 200001, 200102, 200203 although the potential for providing estimates based on data collecting using the earlier methodology is being explored.

Food Labelling

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health why the labelling information on foodstuffs uses 100 g as the standard unit.

Caroline Flint: The United Kingdom labelling regulations implement, among other pieces of legislation, a European Community Directive (90/496/EEC) which lays down harmonised rules about how nutritional information should be presented on food packaging. One such rule in the directive is that the nutrient amounts should be given per 100 g of the food. Manufacturers may also provide nutritional information on a per quantified serving or per portion basis, provided the total number of portions per pack is stated.

General Medical Council

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the annual renewal fee for registration with theGeneral Medical Council was in each year since 2000.

Jane Kennedy: The annual renewal fee for registration with the General Medical Council in the year 2000 was 135. In 2001, the fee was 170. In 2002, this was set at 290 and has remained at this amount in subsequent years.

GM Food

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research findings she has assessed onthe health implications of (a) GM soya and (b) theintroduction of genes from bean varieties into GM peas.

Caroline Flint: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has sought advice from the advisory committee on novel food and processes (ACNFP) regarding what conclusions may be drawn from the results of a preliminary study conducted in Russia on the offspring of rats given flour from genetically modified soya beans. The ACNFP discussed this study on 24 November 2005 and a statement detailing its comments has been published on the ACNFP's website along with the draft minutes of the meeting.
	At the same meeting, the FSA also sought advice from the ACNFP on a paper published by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, which details the immunological effects in mice exposed to peas genetically modified to contain a bean protein. The ACNFP's comments will be finalised when the minutes are formally adopted at the following meeting in January 2006. The draft minutes are available on the ACNFP's website at: www.acnfp.gov.uk/meetings/acnfpmeet2006/acnfpmeet25jan06/acnfpagendapapers25jan06.

General Practitioner Appointments

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have (a) requested and (b) received an appointment to see a GP within 48 hours in (i) Uxbridge constituency and (ii) Greater London, broken down by London borough, in each year since 1997.

Jane Kennedy: The Department does not hold this information in the format requested.
	However, the table shows the percentage of patients that were able to be offered a consultation with a general practitioner within two working days by London primary care trusts for March 2003 to December 2005.
	
		
			 Percentage 
			  March 2003 March 2004 March 2005(31) December 2005(31) 
		
		
			 Uxbridge 
			 Q04 5AT 5AT 5AT Hillingdon PCT 88.38 97.63 100.00 100.00 
			 London borough PCTs:  
			 Q05 5A9 5A9 5A9 Barnet PCT 79.75 100.00 100.00 100.00 
			 Q05 5K7 5K7 5K7 Camden PCT 87.05 96.38 100.00 100.00 
			 Q05 SCI 5CI 5CI Enfield PCT 70.71 100.00 100.00 100.00 
			 Q05 5C9 5C9 5C9 Haringey Teaching PCT 92.98 100.00 100.00 100.00 
			 Q05 5K8 5K8 5K8 Islington PCT 69.67 100.00 100.00 100.00 
			  
			 Q06 5C2 5C2 5C2 Barking  Dagenham PCT 86.17 100.00 100.00 100.00 
			 Q06 5C3 5C3 5C3 City  Hackney PCT 84.03 100.00 100.00 100.00 
			 Q06 5A4 5A4 5A4 Havering PCT 90.25 100.00 100.00 100.00 
			 Q06 5C5 5C5 5C5 Newham PCT 90.31 96.33 100.00 100.00 
			 Q06 5C4 5C4 5C4 Tower Hamlets PCT 67.38 100.00 100.00 100.00 
			 Q06  5NC 5NC Waltham Forest PCT(32)  100.00 100.00 100.00 
			 Q06  5NA 5NA Redbridge PCT(32)  100.00 100.00 100.00 
			 Q06 5C6   Walthamstow, Leyton  Leytonstone PCT(32) 79.58
			 Q06 5C7   Chingford, Wanstead  Woodford PCT(32) 55.57
			  
			 Q04 5K5 5K5 5K5 Brent PCT 81.88 100.00 100.00 100.00 
			 Q04 5HX 5HX 5HX Ealing PCT 68.13 97.19 100.00 100.00 
			 Q04 5H1 5H1 5H1 Hammersmith  Fulham PCT 95.92 97.12 100.00 100.00 
			 Q04 5K6 5K6 5K6 Harrow PCT 90.53 98.73 100.00 100.00 
			 Q04 SAT SAT SAT Hillingdon PCT 88.38 97.63 100.00 100.00 
			 Q04 SHY SHY SHY Hounslow PCT 62.77 100.00 100.00 100.00 
			 Q04 5LA 5LA 5LA Kensington  Chelsea PCT 86.84 90.40 100.00 100.00 
			 Q04 5LC 5LC 5LC Westminster PCT 78.90 91.35 100.00 100.00 
			  
			 Q07 5AX 5AX 5TAK Bexley Care Trust 95.96 100.00 100.00 100.00 
			 Q07 5A7 5A7 5A7 Bromley PCT 90.83 93.55 100.00 100.00 
			 Q07 5A8 5A8 5A8 Greenwich Teaching PCT 80.40 93.36 100.00 100.00 
			 Q07 5LD 5LD 5LD Lambeth PCT 92.11 96.75 100.00 100.00 
			 Q07 5LF 5LF 5LF Lewisham PCT 95.59 92.74 97.36 100.00 
			 Q07 5LE 5LE 5LE Southwark PCT 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 
			  
			 Q08 5K9 5K9 5K9 Croydon PCT 95.41 98.92 100.00 100.00 
			 Q08 5A5 5A5 5A5 Kingston PCT 93.30 93.03 100.00 100.00 
			 Q08 5M6 5M6 5M6 Richmond  Twickenham PCT 98.50 100.00 100.00 100.00 
			 Q08 5M7 5M7 5M7 Sutton  Merton PCT 83.63 100.00 100.00 100.00 
			 Q08 5LG 5LG 5LG Wandsworth PCT 85.04 98.52 100.00 100.00 
		
	
	(31) From April 2004, access to a GP at a local NHS Walk-in Centre may count towards the 48 hour primary care access target, but only for practices that have an agreement with an NHS Walk-in Centre, which offers GP services, that includes referring and/or diverting practice patients.
	(32) From April 2003 Walthamstow, Leyton  Leytonstone PCT, Chingford, Wanstead  Woodford PCT and Redbridge PCT merged into the two new PCTs, Waltham Forest PCT and Redbridge PCT.
	Source:
	Primary Care Access Survey-Percentage of patients able to be offered a consultation with a general practitioner within two working days.

HIV/AIDS

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines she has (a) given to primary care staff on equitable and high quality treatment for patients living with HIV and (b) provided to GPs on best practice on HIV testing, referrals and information.

Caroline Flint: We endorsed the publication of the 'Recommended standards for NHS HIV' services in 2003, which includes a chapter on primary health care for people with HIV. This document was produced by the Medical Foundation for AIDS and Sexual Health, which has also produced the booklet 'HIV in Primary Care'an essential guide to HIV for general practitioners, practice nurses and other members of the primary health care team.
	The British Association of Sexual Health and HIV also have guidelines on HIV testing in primary care.
	The National HIV Nurses Association is due to publish a set of HIV nursing competencies in 2006.

HIV/AIDS

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will increase resources for HIV testing in England; and if she will bring forward proposals to enable and regulate home testing for the infection.

Caroline Flint: Resources for HIV testing in England are not centrally allocated, and are included in primary care trust (PCT) baselines. It is for PCTs to determine the level of resources to meet the needs of their populations.
	We have no current plans to update the HIV Testing Kits and Services Regulations 1992. We do, however, keep policy on HIV testing under ongoing review.

HIV/AIDS

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she plans to launch a new advertising campaign on the transmission of HIV/AIDS.

Caroline Flint: Awareness of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, will be addressed through a new sexual health media campaign, announced as part of the Choosing Health White Paper to modernise and transform sexual health in England. The campaign will focus on the risks of unprotected sex and the benefits of using condoms to avoid the risk of sexually transmitted infections including HIV.
	A major aim for the new sexual health campaign is normalising condom use and implicitly this will contribute to reducing the risk of HIV. The proposed new campaign is additional and complementary to, existing HIV awareness campaigns for those most at risk, in partnership with key voluntary sector organisations.

Hospital Beds

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many hospital beds there were per capita in each health authority area in England for each year for which records are available;
	(2)  what the average bed occupancy rate was in each health authority area in England for each year for which records are available.

Jane Kennedy: Data for the years 200001 and 200102 are shown in the table. Health authorities (HA) were abolished in 2002 and, therefore, data after 200102 are not available on an HA basis.
	Data prior to 200001 could be provided only at a disproportionate cost. However, trust level data on bed occupancy are available on the Department's website at: www.performance.doh.gov.uk/hospitalactivity. Data prior to 199697 are not available.

Influenza

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on which groups deemed at-risk by the Chief Medical Officer for the purposes of the influenza immunisation programme the Health Protection Agency does not require reports on uptake rates.

Caroline Flint: Uptake data are not collected by residential care home or those who are the main carer for an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if the carer falls ill.

Influenza

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 4 January 2006, Official Report, column 136W, to question 32905 on influenza vaccination, if she will include in the groups recommended to receive influenza vaccination those people who are at greater risk of dying from respiratory disease because they are severely mentally ill with psychosis.

Caroline Flint: The groups recommended to receive influenza vaccination are based on clinical risk and are kept under review by the joint committee for vaccination and immunisation (JCVI). JCVI concluded in 2004 that there was insufficient evidence to show that people with mental illness were at an increased risk from flu.

Influenza

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what support she has offered to the Royal College of General Practitioners' Influenza Surveillance Unit beyond April.

Rosie Winterton: The Department intends to continue provide funding for surveillance of influenza by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Birmingham Research Unit in 200607 and 200708. The level of funding to be provided has not yet been determined and will be subject of a forthcoming meeting between Departmental officials and the RCGP.

Influenza

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of possible levels of sickness absence and absenteeism in (a) the NHS and (b) other key services during an influenza pandemic.

Rosie Winterton: As with many factors during a pandemic, the level of absenteeism will depend significantly on the nature of the pandemic virus and this cannot be known until after the virus emerges.
	Over the period of a pandemic, which could be around three to four months, the proportion of the workforce who will take time off due to illness will be similar to the overall clinical attack rate. For example, if the overall clinical attack rate is 25 per cent., then a quarter of the workforce is likely to be ill over the three to four month period. The number absent at any particular time will be less, but will probably peak over two to three weeks.
	The absenteeism rate is unlikely to be uniform across all sectors nor is it likely to occur at the same time in each company, sector or region. The level of absenteeism is likely to be dependent on the size of the organisation, the type of industry and the personal circumstances of the workforce.
	On the national health service in particular, there is ongoing modelling work in this area to take account of the special circumstances of health care workers. Preliminary results indicate that the picture would be broadly the same as for other organisations, however, work is still in progress.

Influenza

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 11 January 2006, Official Report, column 729W, on influenza, when her Department's research to which she refers began; which bodies are conducting the research; when she expects the research to be completed; if she will place a copy of the research in the Library when completed; whether she expects to take a decision on the routine immunisation of those aged 50 and over in time for the 200607 winter flu immunisation programme; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Health Protection Agency's (HPA) centre for infections has carried out studies to provide estimates of the burden of disease associated with flu in all age groups. These studies included estimates of the impact of vaccinating young children against flu on the burden of disease associated with flu in all age groups.
	These estimates have been obtained by developing an age-structured deterministic transmission dynamic model. This work will be published in a peer-reviewed journal in due course.
	The main findings were presented at a meeting of the influenza subgroup of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation on 8 September 2005, the minutes of which is available on the Department's website at: www.advisorybodies.doh.gov.uk/jcvi/mins-flu-080905.htm.
	A paper about the effects of universal vaccination of children against influenza, written by a group that includes HPA staff, local and regional services, has been published recently in a peer-reviewed journal 1 .
	Reference:
	1 R. Jordan, M. Connock, E. Albon, A. Fry-Smith, B. Olowokure, J. Hawker, A. Burls. Universal vaccination of children against influenza: Are there indirect benefits to the community? A systematic review of the evidence.
	Vaccine 2005.09.017 [email publicationahead of print]

Influenza

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received on the effectiveness of stockpiling (a) Relenza and (b) M2 inhibitors to prepare the NHS for tackling an influenza pandemic.

Rosie Winterton: Departmental officials are actively reviewing the antiviral strategy in the context of emerging data and we are looking carefully at other antivirals as a possible back-up to oseltamivir.
	The Department has been approached by the manufacturer of Relenza in relation to supply of that product for pandemic preparedness. There are practical issues to consider concerning use of Relenza during a pandemic, notably that the product is not licensed for prevention of influenza or for use in children and has to be administered via inhalation.
	No decision has been made on whether to stockpile alternative antivirals, including M2 inhibitors, however, the Department is keeping its pandemic antiviral strategy under constant review and this remains an option.

Jentle Service

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much revenue has been raised by the Jentle Service at the maternity department of the Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital; and what the service offers to expectant mothers;
	(2)  how many women have so far subscribed to the Jentle Service provided by the maternity department at the Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital.

Jane Kennedy: The Hammersmith Hospitals Trust's scheme is called Birththe Jentle Midwifery Scheme. The scheme only applies to the Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea hospital.
	The scheme provides for two options. The first is for private patients. The second option is a midwifery-led scheme for national health service patients, which offers continuity for the woman and ensures she has a named midwife throughout her pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period. The scheme incorporates antenatal care, the birth and postnatal care. The trust bills the woman 4,000 for this scheme. The option does not include any other services or facilities except that a single amenity room is included in the package for the first night, if one is available.
	The number of women that have used the scheme including those delivered and those still pregnant is 74. The number of babies delivered so far is 51.
	The total amount invoiced to date for the Jentle Midwifery Scheme is 164,998.

LIFT Scheme

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether the issues set out in the letter dated 13 December to a director of development of a primary care trust from the NHS LIFT Policy Lead of the Capital Investment Branch of her Department outlining mandatory changes to the Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) scheme were previously discussed with the chairman and members of the LIFT Liaison Organisation for Business Investors (LIFT LOBI); and what plans (a) she and (b) officials of her Department have to meet with LIFT LOBI to discuss these issues;
	(2)  whether the contents of the letter dated 13 December to a director of development of a primary care trust from the NHS Lift Policy Lead of the Capital Investment Branch of her Department outlining mandatory changes to the Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) scheme represent the policy of her Department; what consultations were undertaken with (a) primary care trusts, (b) LIFT companies, (c) Partnerships for Health, (d) business investors and (e) other stakeholders about the matters contained in that letter; and whether those consultations were in accordance with the Code of Practice on Consultations issued by the Cabinet Office;
	(3)  whether the issues set out in the letter dated 13 December to a director of development of a primary care trust from the NHS Lift Policy Lead of the Capital Investment Branch of her Department outlining mandatory changes to the Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) scheme were previously raised by the representatives of the Capital Investment Branch at the Lift in Action Steering Group on 4 November;
	(4)  what assessment she has made of whether the policy developments set out in the letter dated 13 December 2005 to a Director of Development of a Primary Care Trust from the NHS LIFT Policy Lead of the Capital Investment Branch of her Department outlining mandatory changes to the Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) scheme are consistent with (a) the findings of the recent National Audit Office Report on the LIFT scheme and (b) the letter from the chief executive of the national health service to the chair of the LIFT Liaison Organisation for Business Investors dated 25 October 2005; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The letter of 13 December, to the director of development for Bristol South and West Primary Care Trust, confirmed the Department's decision to require the standard private finance initiative contract to be used in future for complex individual Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) facilities with a capital value of over 25 million. This decision was taken to ensure appropriate risk transfer for these very large LIFT facilities, which are much larger and cover additional services than those originally intended to be undertaken under LIFT. The decision simply involves the use of a different contract for the limited number of LIFT facilities where it is more appropriate. It does not represent a major policy, financial or service change, and for this reason, no formal consultations were undertaken with stakeholders including the LIFT Liaison Organisation for Business Investors (LIFT LOBI). This is in line with the Cabinet Office's Code of Practice on Consultation. The Department's national health service LIFT policy lead met representatives of LIFT LOBI on 9 January to discuss and explain the decision, and is also holding a series of meetings with the primary care trusts affected. I have no plans to meet members of LIFT LOBI.
	The issues set out in the letter of 13 December were not raised by officials at the LIFT in action steering group meeting on 4 November as the policy was still under internal departmental development.
	The policy developments set out in the letter are consistent with the National Audit Office report on the LIFT scheme, which endorses LIFT as an initiative to support the redevelopment of the primary care estate. They are also consistent with the letter from the chief executive of the NHS to the chair of the LIFT LOBI dated 25 October 2005.

Lyme Disease

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations she has received about the treatment of Lyme disease in England; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 31 January 2006
	Three representations have been received concerning the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease. Two alleged that Lyme disease was not being correctly diagnosed or treated within the national health service and one was additionally concerned about risks of transmission via blood transfusion. A parliamentary question has also been asked about the use of intravenous ceftriaxone for Lyme disease.
	The inspector of microbiology and infection control has confirmed that the internationally recognised criteria for the diagnosis of Lyme borreliosis are routinely used for diagnosis within the NHS through the Health Protection Agency's Lyme borreliosis specialist diagnostic service. These are based upon stringent interpretation of serological tests for specific antibodies to the causative organism, Borrelia burgdorferi and are recommended in the United States of America, Europe and the United Kingdom. The Inspector is concerned that some medical practitioners base their diagnosis on positive results from unsuitable and unvalidated tests performed in non-accredited laboratories. A warning was published in the American journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 11 February 2005, advising caution regarding many commercially promoted tests for Lyme borreliosis and restating the internationally accepted diagnostic criteria.
	Treatment is with antibiotics. Detailed studies have shown excellent long term outcomes for most people who receive appropriate treatment. Repeated or prolonged courses of antibiotics have been shown not to help the small proportion of patients with post infection syndrome.

Macular Degeneration

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding has been committed in 200506 to research into ways of reducing the cost of curing age-related macular degeneration.

Rosie Winterton: The Department is investing 1 million in a study to gather evidence on the clinical and cost effectiveness of photodynamic therapy for people with the predominantly classic form of age-related macular degeneration. This study will inform the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence when its guidance on photodynamic therapy is reviewed in September 2006.
	The Department is not looking specifically at ways of reducing the cost of curing age-related macular degeneration.

Medical Staff (Tooting)

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) doctors and (b) nurses there were in the constituency of Tooting in (i) 1997 and (ii) the last year for which figures are available.

Jane Kennedy: The information requested is shown in the tables.
	
		Hospital, Public Health Medicine and Community Health Services (HCHS) Staff, General Medical Practitioners (excluding retainers), Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting staff and GP Practice Nurses, All Doctors and Nurses for selected organisations, 19972004, England
		
			 Number (headcount) 
			1997 
			 Of which:  Of which: 
			  All Doctors   HCHS Doctors(33) General Medical Practitioners (excluding retainers)(34)Nurses Nursing, Midwifery and Health visiting staff   GP Practice Nurses 
		
		
			 Q08 South West London 2,541 1,762 779 8,231 7,725 506 
			  Of which:
			  RHF Merton  Sutton Community Healthcare NHS Trust 68 68 n/a 523 523 n/a 
			  RHG Richmond, Twickenham  Roehampton NHS Trust 152 152 n/a 990 990 n/a 
			  RQY South West London  St. George's Mental Health NHS Trust 96 96 n/a 387 387 n/a 
			  RVM South West London Community NHS Trust   n/a   n/a 
			  Q08 South West London SHA   n/a   n/a 
			  RJ7 St. George's Group NHS Trust 475 475 n/a 1,371 1,371 n/a 
			  RPP Wandsworth Community Health NHS Trust 18 18 n/a 277 277 n/a 
			  5LG Wandsworth PCT   n/a   n/a 
		
	
	
		2001
		
			 Number (headcount) 
			 Of which:  Of which: 
			  All Doctors   HCHS Doctors(33) General Medical Practitioners (excluding retainers)(34)Nurses Nursing, Midwifery and Health visiting staff   GP Practice Nurses 
		
		
			 Q08 South West London 2,823 2,035 788 8,974 8530 444 
			  Of which:
			  RHF Merton  Sutton Community Healthcare NHS Trust n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			  RHG Richmond, Twickenham  Roehampton NHS Trust n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			  RQY South West London  St. George's Mental Health NHS Trust 220 220  907 907  
			  RVM South West London Community NHS Trust 55 55  893 893  
			  Q08 South West London SHA   
			  RJ7 St. George's Group NHS Trust 619 619  1,765 1,765  
			  RPP Wandsworth Community Health NHS Trust   
			  5LG Wandsworth PCT 196  196 90  90 
		
	
	
		2004
		
			 Number (headcount) 
			 Of which:  Of which: 
			All Doctors HCHS Doctors(33) General Medical Practitioners (excluding retainers)(34) Nurses Nursing, Midwifery and Health visiting staff GP Practice Nurses 
		
		
			 Q08 South West London 3,558 2,619 939 10,735 10,241 494 
			  Of which:
			  RHF Merton  Sutton Community Healthcare NHS Trust n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			  RHG Richmond, Twickenham  Roehampton NHS Trust n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			  RQY South West London  St. George's Mental Health NHS Trust 267 267  1,033 1,033  
			  RVM South West London Community NHS Trust   
			  Q08 South West London SHA 4 4 
			  RJ7 St. George's Group NHS Trust 759 759  2,556 2,556  
			  RPP Wandsworth Community Health NHS Trust   
			  5LG Wandsworth PCT 241 47 194 600 483 117 
		
	
	n/a = Not available.
	 = Denotes zero.
	(33) Excludes Hospital Medical Hospital Practitioners and Hospital Medical Clinical Assistants, most of whom are GPs working part time in hospitals.
	(34) General Medical Practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars) includes Contracted GPs , GMS Others and PMS Others. Prior to September 2004 this group included GMS Unrestricted Principals, PMS Contracted GPs, PMS Salaried GPs, Restricted Principals, Assistants, Salaried Doctors (Para 52 SFA), PMS Other, Flexible Career Scheme GPs and GP Returners.
	Note:
	Data as at 30 September each year except GP and Practice Nurse data as at 1 October 1997.
	Sources:
	Health and Social Care Information Centre General and Personal Medical Services Statistics
	Health and Social Care Information Centre Medical and Dental Workforce Statistics
	Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census

Mental Health

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of mental health care provision in Hertfordshire; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: An annual assessment if undertaken by mental health strategies on behalf of the Department. The latest published report is autumn 2005, Assessment of Mental Health 2005 which is available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/11/84/54/04118454.pdf and
	www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/11/84/55/04118455.pdf.

Mental Health

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she intends to bring forward the Mental Health Bill in this session of Parliament.

Rosie Winterton: We intend to bring forward a Mental Health Bill into Parliament when the legislative timetable permits.

MRSA

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many MRSA infections were recorded in NHS hospitals for (a) 2003, (b) 2004 and (c) 2005 and which of these (i) were in and (ii) were related to renal units by disease area.

Jane Kennedy: National surveillance covers methicillin resistant Staphylococcus auerus (MRSA) blood stream infections (bacteraemias), not all MRSA infections. National data is shown in the table and data for individual trusts is available on the Departments website at: www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot?04/11/40/15/04114015.pdf.
	
		
			  Number of MRSA bacteraemias 
		
		
			 April 2002-March 2003 7,373 
			 April 2003-March 2004 7,684 
			 April 2004-March 2005 7,212 
		
	
	Source:
	Health Protection Agency

MRSA

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many MRSA cases have occurred in (a) Uxbridge constituency and (b) each London borough in each year since 1997.

Jane Kennedy: The Department does not hold the information in the format requested.
	However, a table showing the number of reported methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) cases by national health service trusts for the years 2001 to 2005 is available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/11/40/15/04114015.pdf.
	Tackling MRSA and other healthcare associated infections remains a priority for Government and the NHS. Staff across the NHS are working hard to reduce infections, though not all can be avoided. Considerable good work is under way in pursuit of our key target to reduce by half the annual bacteraemia cases by April 2008.

Multiple Sclerosis Centres

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what representations she has received on the impact of inspection fees on the viability of multiple sclerosis treatment centres run on a charity basis;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the merits of waiving inspection fees for multiple sclerosis centres.

Jane Kennedy: Revised regulatory fees payable to the Healthcare Commission by private and voluntary health care providers in 200506 were announced in February 2005. Since then I have received representations from more than 30 hon. and right hon. Members about the fees payable by multiple sclerosis therapy centres. I have also received several representations from members of the public and therapy centre staff. I met therapy centre representatives in July. I have concluded that these centres should continue to be subject to regulation by the Healthcare Commission.
	The Healthcare Commission is currently consulting on the regulatory fee structure for 200607; the consultation document seeks views on whether establishments that are substantially reliant on voluntary donations for their income should be subject to a subsidised fee and, if so, the size of that subsidy and how it might be funded. The consultation period ends on 24 February.

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many meetings Ministers in her Department have had with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in the last 12 months; and what the reasons for the meetings were in each case.

Jane Kennedy: In the past 12 months there have been five meetings between departmental Ministers and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). Those meeting and their purposes are as follows:
	Meeting between the chair and chief executive of NICE with myself and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health, my hon. Friend the Member for Don Valley (Caroline Flint) on 9 June 2005 as an introduction to NICE'S work;
	Annual accountability review of NICE attended by myself, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health, my hon. Friend the Member for Don Valley (Caroline Flint) and Brian Gibbons AM, the Welsh Assembly Government Minister for Health and Social Services, on 13 October 2005;
	Meeting between Professor Sir Michael Rawlins and Lord Warner on 9 January 2006 to discuss the potential contribution of NICE to the quality and outcomes framework;
	Meeting between Professor Sir Michael Rawlins and the Secretary of State on 12 January 2006 to discuss NICE'S citizens council, and
	Meeting between the chair and chief executive of NICE and myself on 30 January 2006 to have an informal general discussion on issues concerning NICE.

NHS Cancer Plan

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to review the NHS Cancer Plan.

Rosie Winterton: We are constantly reviewing how best to take account of changes in the national health service and developments in cancer. The NHS Cancer Plan is a 10-year strategy to improve cancer services in England and raise the level of our cancer services to the best in Europe. We are now five years into the NHS Cancer Plan and are focused on delivering its commitments. Once these have been delivered we will give further consideration to whether an updated cancer plan is needed.

NHS Database

Ian Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding her Department will make available to general practitioners for entry of patients' records onto the central NHS database by 2010; and what contingency plans she will put in place for errors in code conversions from general practitioners' records to the database.

Liam Byrne: Under the terms of their contract, contractors receive a global sum which is a contribution towards the contractor's costs in delivering essential and additional services, including maintaining adequate patient records. In addition, contractors can obtain points within the quality and outcomes framework on a number of areas relating to the maintenance of patient records. The relevant indicators are outlined in annex D of the statement of financial entitlements, which is available in the Library. There are no current plans to provide additional financial support to general practitioners specifically for entry of patients' records on the national health service care records service (NHS CRS).
	The transfer of local records to the NHS CRS requires compliance with NHS Connecting for Health's stringent data migration quality standards. However, good practice guidelines for general practice electronic patient records developed by the General Practitioners Committee and the Royal College of General Practitioners, and issued by the Department, make it clear that responsibility for the quality of the necessary transfer processes, and for ensuring information is accurate and up-to-date, lies with the individual practice. This includes the putting in place of procedures to identify and resolve where an error occurs in code conversion. That could be as simple as reviewing and verifying the relevant record with the patient at the next consultation.

NHS Sites (Crimes)

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many crimes have been committed at (a) NHS hospitals and (b) other NHS sites in each year since 1997, broken down by type of crime.

Rosie Winterton: The information is not available in the format requested.

Obesity

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the obesity levels were for (a) children and (b) adults in (i) each health authority area and (ii) each local authority area for the past 30 years in descending order according to the most recent figures.

Caroline Flint: The data are not available in the format requested. The main source of data on the prevalence of obesity is the Health Survey for England (HSE).
	Data on obesity prevalence in children are available at a national level from the Health Survey for England 2002. This survey is available on the Department's website at: www.archive2.official-documents.co.uk/document/deps/doh/survey02/hse02.htm. The children's sample size of the HSE does not allow figures to be produced at the level of strategic health authority (SHA) or local authority area.
	Data on obesity in adults are shown in table 1. The table provides the proportion of adults, aged 16 and over, who are obese (mean body mass index (BMI) over 30) for each SHA between 1994 and 2002. Data for earlier years are not available. The results from the table are taken from the Health Survey for England: Health and lifestyles indicators for Strategic Health Authorities 19942002 report. The data shows BMI as a three-year moving average, with the latest data available in this format being 20002002. The sample size of the HSE does not allow figures to be produced at the level of local health authority areas.
	
		Table 1: Age standardised proportion of adults who are obese (BMI over 30), by year (three-year moving average) and sex, England, 19942002
		
			 Area Persons 
			 Code Name 199496 199597 199698 199799 
			   % SI % SI % SI % SI 
		
		
			 Q10 County Durham and Tees Valley 16.5  18.9  19.2  19.1  
			 Q09 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear 16.3  18.4  19.9  21.0  
			 Q15 Cheshire and Merseyside 16.1  16.1  17.0  18.6  
			 Q13 Cumbria and Lancashire 15.0  17.4  18.7  19.3  
			 Q14 Greater Manchester 14.9 Low 15.3 Low 17.0  19.0  
			 Q11 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire 17.6  18.6  19.7  20.2  
			 Q23  19.1 High 17.9  18.6  17.1  
			 Q12 West Yorkshire 16.3  16.1  18.1  18.2  
			 Q25 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland 16.6  16.5  16.8  18.2  
			 Q24 Trent 18.4 High 18.9  19.5  19.1  
			 Q27 Birmingham and the Black Country 20.4 High 20.7 High 21.3 High 21.3 High 
			 Q28 West Midlands South 16.1  17.7  19.3  21.9  
			 Q26 Shropshire and Staffordshire 19.0 High 19.3  19.0  20.6  
			 Q02 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 15.5  16.1  16.3  18.4  
			 Q03 Essex 13.8  16.5  18.3  17.9  
			 Q0117.2  19.5  19.9  
			 Q05 North Central London 13.1 Low 14.8  15.5  14.1  
			 Q06 North East London 16.6  17.7  18.0  20.1  
			 Q04 North West London 16.1  17.1  17.1  18.8  
			 Q07 South East London 19.1 High 18.8  18.8  18.8  
			 Q08 South West London 12.3 Low 12.5 Low 14.8 Low 15.4  
			 Q17 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 15.0  17.1  17.9  18.8  
			 Q18 Kent and Medway 17.7  20.0 High 20.3  19.7  
			 Q19 Surrey and Sussex 13.4 Low 14.9 Low 16.9  17.4  
			 Q16 Thames Valley 16.9  17.1  16.7  16.5  
			 Q20 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 15.8  15.4 Low 15.8 Low 16.1 Low 
			 Q22 Dorset and Somerset 18.3  18.6  19.1  19.3  
			 Q21 South West Peninsula 16.9  18.1  17.8  18.9  
		
	
	
		
			 Code Name 19982000 19992001 200002 
			   % SI % SI % SI 
		
		
			 Q10 County Durham and Tees Valley 19.3  23.8  27.3 High 
			 Q09 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear 20.8  21.3  21.3  
			 Q15 Cheshire and Merseyside 19.4  20.9  21.0  
			 Q13 Cumbria and Lancashire 21.2  21.5  22.4  
			 Q14 Greater Manchester 20.3  20.2  21.1  
			 Q11 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire 21.7  23.9 High 26.1 High 
			 Q23  18.0  17.1 Low 19.6  
			 Q12 West Yorkshire 18.1  18.5  20.8  
			 Q25 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland 20.5  22.1  24.3  
			 Q24 Trent 21.7  23.0  25.1 High 
			 Q27 Birmingham and the Black Country 23.4 High 24.0 High 24.9 High 
			 Q28 West Midlands South 21.1  23.1  22.6  
			 Q26 Shropshire and Staffordshire 21.5  22.1  22.9  
			 Q02 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 18.1  20.1  18.8 Low 
			 Q03 Essex 19.4  19.2  20.2  
			 Q01  20.1  20.6  21.6  
			 Q05 North Central London 17.9  17.5  18.4  
			 Q06 North East London 20.7  20.9  20.7  
			 Q04 North West London 19.8  21.0  18.4 Low 
			 Q07 South East London 18.6  18.2  19.2  
			 Q08 South West London 20.2  19.9  24.3  
			 Q17 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 19.4  20.9  21.4  
			 Q18 Kent and Medway 20.0  21.5  23.1  
			 Q19 Surrey and Sussex 17.4 Low 17.3 Low 17.6 Low 
			 Q16 Thames Valley 17.3 Low 17.3 Low 18.9 Low 
			 Q20 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 17.8  19.4  17.3 Low 
			 Q22 Dorset and Somerset 18.9  19.7  19.3  
			 Q21 South West Peninsula 18.5  19.9  19.9  
		
	
	Notes
	In the SI (significance indicator) column, High/Low indicate age standardised values for this SHA that are significantly higher/lower than the England average, at the 95 per cent. confidence level.
	LCL= Lower 95 per cent. confidence interval; UCL= Upper 95 per cent. confidence interval
	Source:
	Health Survey for England: Health and Lifestyle indicators for Strategic Health Authorities 19942002 Department of Health
	
		Table 2 shows the proportion of adults who are obese (BMI of 30 and above) for each Government office region for 2003Obesity prevalence (age-standardised), by Government office region and sex
		
			Percentage 
			 Government office region 
			 Aged 16 and over with both valid height and weight measurements 2003 
			 BMI (kg/ m2) over 30 North East North West Yorkshire and the Humber East Midlands West Midlands East England London South East South West 
		
		
			 Men 22.6 23.8 25.4 23.8 24.1 24.6 18.7 19.5 22.4 
			 Women 26.6 26.1 28.5 27.4 31.4 26.9 23.0 21.1 22.5 
			 Bases (unweighted)  
			 Men 368 849 560 574 629 728 727.0 930 601 
			 Women 468 1006 667 678 778 825 837.0 1119 712 
			 Bases (weighted)   
			 Men 339 878 634 591 676 755 930.0 1052 663 
			 Women 376 901 650 582 696 735 876.0 1071 683 
		
	
	Source:
	Health Survey for England 2003Risk factors for cardiovascular disease

Obesity

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many primary school pupils in (a) England, (b) London, (c) London borough of Hillingdon and (d) Uxbridge constituency are identified as (i) overweight and (ii) obese.

Caroline Flint: The data are not available in the format requested. The main source of data on the prevalence of obesity is the health survey for England (HSE). The sample size of the health survey does not allow figures to be produced at the level of London boroughs or parliamentary constituencies. For children, aged two to 10 years, national and Government office region (GOR) figures are presented using the national BMI percentile classification.
	The available information is presented in the two following tables, using the estimated obesity and/or overweight prevalence results of the HSE for 2001, 2002 and 2003. The national level data presented are the most recent available, and shows overweight and obesity prevalence among children. Data at GOR level is only available for obesity prevalence. GOR data provided are the most recent available and use combined information from the 2001 and 2002 surveys.
	
		Overweight and obesity prevalence among children aged two to 10-years, England, 2003
		
			  Children aged two-10-years with valid BMI 
		
		
			 Obese percentage 13.7 
			 Overweight including obese percentage 27.7 
			 Bases (weighted) 1774 
			 Bases (unweighted) 1733 
		
	
	Notes:
	Prevalence based on the UK national BMI percentile classification.
	Source:
	Obesity among children under 11, 2005. Department of Health and the Health and Social Care Information Centre
	
		Obesity prevalence among children aged two to 10-years, London, 200102
		
			  Children aged two-10-years with valid BMI 
		
		
			 Obese percentage 18.2 
			 Bases (weighted) 830 
			 Bases (unweighted) 701 
		
	
	Notes:
	Prevalence based on the UK national BMI percentile classification.
	Source:
	Obesity among children under 11, 2005. Department of Health and the Health and Social Care Information Centre

Patient Deaths

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS patient deaths there were in each of the last three years (a) during operations and (b) post-operatively.

Jane Kennedy: The specific information as requested is not collected centrally.

Physiotherapy Services

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the waiting time for emergency physiotherapy in the (a) Brighton and (b) Adur, Arun and Worthing Primary Care Trust area was in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what the waiting time for non-urgent physiotherapy in the (a) Brighton and (b) Adur, Arun and Worthing Primary Care Trust area was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Recombinant Factor VIII

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what period of time her Department plans to fund recombinant Factor VIII for use by haemophiliacs in the UK.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 7 February 2006
	Department officials have been closely monitoring the implementation of the recombinant roll-out programme over the past two years. The Government remains committed to this programme and we are currently considering options for future funding of this important treatment.

Sexual Health

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the Government have allocated for its publicity campaign on sexually transmitted diseases; and when it will begin.

Caroline Flint: Our current plans are to aim to launch the new sexual health campaign later in 2006. The campaign will be funded from the additional monies announced for sexual health over three years as a result of the Choosing Health White Paper to modernise and transform sexual health in England.

Turnaround Teams

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what funding she allocated to the external commercial turnaround expertise sent to the Kennett and North Wiltshire Primary Care Trust; and from what budget this funding will be drawn; what the remit is and by what criteria she will judge its success.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 31 January 2006
	The turnaround teams were announced in a ministerial statement on 1 December 2005, Official Report, column 37WS. The teams will comprise of experts with a mix of commercial and national health service turnaround skills.
	The first stage of this is a baseline assessment, the aim of which is to ensure there is an agreed understanding of the local financial problem and that actions are in hand to address this.
	The contract for the baseline assessment was awarded to consultants KPMG. Kennett and North Wiltshire Primary Care Trust's (PCT) assessment was included in this assessment. The value of this contract is commercial in confidence.
	Following the baseline assessment a tailored package of turnaround support will be agreed by the local NHS. The first three months of a turnaround director at the PCT will be funded by the Department. The remit is to support the local management enable the PCT to deliver its statutory duties, including financial balance, and key national targets.
	I envisage that the turnaround teams will be needed to the end of 200607, when I expect the NHS to have returned to financial balance.

Turnaround Teams

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many financial directors have been removed from (a) NHS trusts and (b) strategic health authorities as a direct result of findings following visits from turnaround teams in the past two years and how many in each case have been removed to date in 200506.

Jane Kennedy: The information requested is not held centrally.

Turnaround Teams

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost is of the turnaround work in the NHS in (a) England, (b) York and (c) North Yorkshire.

Jane Kennedy: The turnaround teams were announced in a ministerial statement on 1 December 2005, Official Report, column 37WS. The teams will comprise of experts with a mix of commercial and national health service turnaround skills.
	The first stage of this is a baseline assessment, the aim of which is to ensure there is an agreed understanding of the local financial problem and that actions are in hand to address this.
	Selby and York primary care trust (PCT), Yorkshire Wolds and Coast PCT and Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale PCT are included in this assessment. The value of the contract to run the baseline assessment exercise is commercial in confidence.
	A national programme office, to coordinate the turnaround programme, has been established; its value is also commercial in confidence.
	Following the baseline assessment a tailored package of turnaround support will be agreed with each organisation. The costs will depend on the packages of support agreed.

Vulnerable Adults

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many checks against the protection of vulnerable adults list were made in the last year for which figures are available; and what the average time taken to respond to each check was in the last period for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: The Criminal Records Bureau's (CRB) standard and enhanced disclosures will include a check against the protection of vulnerable adults (POVA) list where this is requested on the application form. The total number of disclosures issued in 2005 containing a check against the POVA list was 1,366,698. The CRB service standards are to process 93 per cent. of standard disclosure applications within two weeks and 90 per cent. of enhanced disclosure applications within four weeks.
	I understand from the CRB, that there are no figures available to determine the average time taken to process a POVA check because the check forms part of the overall internal CRB disclosure process and figures are not collated centrally.